So Close, Yet So Far
by animeobsessed001
Summary: Allen Walker was in a predicament. He was about ninety eight percent sure that he was in love with his best friend Lavi Bookman. The only problem is Lavi is dating someone else. Can Allen survive the torture of seeing the one he loves in the arms of another? AU. Laven. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**[****Edited 2/15/12****: Note from the Author: Hey there! Thanks for picking my story to read! This is my very first fanfic ever. In fact, this is sort of my first story to ever upload online for the public eye. I hope that you enjoy it. Please leave me a review if you would like. It would mean the world to me. **

**I am going through all my chapters and fixing all my errors, so if you are rereading this, you may see some differences, but nothing major. **

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001] **

Chapter One

Allen Walker flopped on his bed and began to concentrate on catching his breath. It was not an easy task, especially because he had just sprinted an entire mile home without stopping until he had to unlock his door. When he entered his house he hardly grunted a hello to his guardian Marion Cross and then ran up the stairs into his room and slammed the door and jumped from his doorway to his a bed—a length of about five feet, a new record—and now he was struggling for breath. He began to wonder if this is what it felt like to those who had asthma.

Allen's entire body ached and he could finally see the bruises beginning to form on his body where he had taken blows. On top of that, his chest was super tight and felt as if it was going to burst open. This was caused by more then just his frantic sprint home and getting the crap beaten out of him earlier. The only emotion that he could even begin to describe his feeling to was heartache. Unfortunately, this was not the first time that he had felt this terrible ache in his chest. _Nor will it be the last,_ he sighed to himself. He could feel the tears that he had been suppressing the entire day. _I don't care anymore, let the damn tears come. I can't hold them back any longer. _

Allen was in a predicament. He was about ninety eight percent sure that he was in love with his best friend Lavi Bookman. Lavi had been his best friend for two years. They felt an instant friendship as soon as their eyes connected for the first time. Allen could feel that Lavi was someone that he would be able to get along with, he wasn't sure how, but he just knew. For the next year the newly connected duo were always together in some way or another. Whether they were hanging out and causing trouble in person or sharing their life stories about one another via text messages and social network chats.

About a year and a half after they became friends, Lavi got a new boyfriend. His name was Tyki Mikk. Tyki was someone who Allen disliked. Okay, maybe disliked was a tad of an understatement. Allen hated Tyki with the fiery burning passion of a thousand flaming suns. Yeah, that much. As for Tyki's views towards Allen, the feelings were mutual.

When Lavi had announced that he had a boyfriend, Allen was taken aback. He had not realized that Lavi was gay and when he pointed that out Lavi just shook his head. "I'm not all gay, just half gay. I'm bi." Lavi laughed out loud when he saw the confused expression that had crossed his best friend's face. "Bi, ya'know, bisexual. Meaning that I like both men and the ladies," he said with a grin.

At that time, Allen hadn't realized that he too was bisexual (except for the secret thoughts that he had and would refuse to admit to anyone, including himself) so he was very surprised. But Lavi was his best friend and he would back his friend up in anything one hundred percent. That's when Tyki walked over.

At first, Allen had thought that the random appearance of his nemesis was just that: random. When Lavi ran to Tyki while yelling, "My Portuguese prince~!" Allen could feel his jaw drop. That's how it began. Lavi was so happy, Tyki was Tyki, and Allen was admittedly a little creeped out.

About half a year had passed when Allen was in his freshman year and Lavi and Tyki in their senior year. Allen had noticed some differences between his best friend and his boyfriend. Lavi wasn't the same happy, hyper self that he always was. In fact, he was never happy anymore. He always spent his time looking depressed. Tyki looked about the same as he always did, except he had developed an outrageous sense of over-protectiveness for Lavi. Once, Allen had playfully punched Lavi and Tyki jumped on Allen's back, causing him to have to go to the doctor a few days later. His back still hadn't fully healed. Lavi had apologized for days, but Allen knew that it wasn't his fault that his boyfriend was completely crazy. On top of hurting Allen, he would also literally ban Lavi from seeing Allen. It would really upset him, but he tried not to complain too much.

Allen couldn't quite pinpoint the exact time he developed his feelings for Lavi. Maybe it was after he realized he was bisexual. Maybe it was after the two shared a simple kiss in a game of truth or dare. Or maybe, just maybe, it had been what people call 'love at first sight,' but Allen was too stubborn to admit his own sexuality to himself. All he really knew was that he had liked Lavi for a very long time, and he cursed himself for letting Tyki beat him to the red-head.

Recently, Allen's feelings for Lavi were spiraling out of control. Even the slightest touch from Lavi would get Allen's heart racing. It didn't help that they had most classes together. Even though Lavi was a senior and Allen was a freshman, they shared all but one class. This was possible because Lavi had terrible grades (mostly because he didn't plan on graduating), where as Allen was a straight A student and was in all the advanced classes. The only class that the duo didn't share was history. That was the only class that Lavi even gave a damn about and took seriously. His other classes he didn't care about and would spend the entire period always screwing around with Allen.

Allen didn't mind, that is, until Lavi would become clingy. Then Allen was always afraid that he was always blushing or something of the sort. Other than when Lavi would become attached, he loved messing around with Lavi. Whether they were passing notes, having wrestling matches on top of the tables, or just being loud, the pair was always causing trouble that would have Allen apologizing to the teachers later. It was paradise. Except for two things.

One: Tyki. Not just Tyki in general, but Tyki's over-possessiveness was beginning to get out of hand. Allen could swear that Tyki could feel some sort of disturbance in the force whenever Allen and Lavi were having fun and would always materialize out of absolute nothingness and steal Lavi away. It had happened on numerous occasions.

Two: the achy feeling that always made Allen feel as if he was going to be sick. He felt this very often whenever Lavi was around, especially when he got into one of his clingy moods towards him. The feeling was in the pit of his stomach and it would eat at him, making him want to run to the bathroom to vomit (although he hadn't had to do that just yet). It was driving Allen mad. Why did he feel this way? He enjoyed being around Lavi, so why does he have the urge to puke his guts out whenever he was close to him. It made no absolute sense.

Earlier that day, Allen could tell that Lavi was in one of his depressed moods. It was easy to see, since he was wearing the hood of his Black Order High hoodie. He never wore hoods. He hated when they messed up his 'sex-a-licious' hair. Allen walked over to greet his friend in a happy fashion, but Tyki had come between Allen and Lavi instantly. "What do you want?" Tyki growled.

"I'm here to say hello to my friend. Is that not allowed?" Allen asked in a pissed off voice.

"No, it's not. Bunny has had a rough night and he and I are working on talking it out. Do you understand?"

Allen groaned. "Really? I can't talk to him because the two of you are in the middle of an argument. That is ridiculous. Let me go say hi Tyki, look at him, he looks like he just found out Mr. Bookman died or something!"

Tyki glanced at Lavi, and then looked back at Allen. "Don't talk to Lavi until he and I finish our fight." Tyki said and walked away.

Five minutes later, the bell rang. Ten minutes later Allen and Lavi were in their first period calculus class. Fifteen minutes later, Allen got Lavi to smile again. By the end of the day, they had managed to skip two classes, cause an unknown chemical reaction in science, and made the English teacher bash her head on the wall because of Lavi answering back, "Yes Professor Umbridge," to everything that she had said as well as correcting her multiple times on her grammar. All in all, it was a fun and normal day.

After the duo parted to attend their separate history classes, Allen bumped into someone and fell on the floor and landed on his face. Before Allen could get up, he felt a foot on his head as it stomped his face into the hard floor of the commons.

"I thought I told you to not to talk to _my _Lavi?" Tyki growled.

Allen could hear that Tyki was furious. He refused to cry out in pain as Tyki continually stomped his face into the ground. Allen knew that his nose was bleeding and that he was going to have a few bruises by the time this was over.

Finally, Tyki stopped. "That's what you get you stupid beansprout," He spat.

Allen gritted his teeth at the cursed nickname. He hated being called beansprout.

"Is that all you got, butterfly princess?" Allen asked in a smug voice.

Tyki growled and kicked Allen in the stomach followed by the neck, then the chest, then the stomach again.

After another blow to the head, Allen had lost count of all the times that Tyki had hit him. Suddenly, he stopped. Allen cautiously looked up to see a round, gray man with a top hat grinning down at him while laying a hand on Tyki's shoulder.

"_Tsk, tsk, _didn't I make it clear that you were to leave Mr. Walker alone Tyki?" the man asked, his grin still painted on his face.

"Yes. . . ." Tyki mumbled.

"Good boy. Now off to class with you, you hear?" the man said.

Tyki nodded and walked past Allen, giving him a final kick in the gut before he went to his class.

As Allen struggled to sit up, the figure before him smiled.

"Now, Mr. Walker, whatever did you do to make my Tyki so upset with you?" he asked.

Allen gritted his teeth. This was Tyki's father, Earl Millennium. He was the school's principle. He was an unfair man who never let his children take the blame for anything. The only reason he was even allowed to be the principle was because he offered a small portion of his wealth to the school board if they hired him. Of course, they did without a second thought. Now, Allen was stuck dealing with him and was probably going to end up taking Tyki's punishment.

"N-nothing Principle Millennium." Allen mumbled. When he finally stood up and was beginning to limp away, he felt a cold hand on his shoulder.

"Mr. Walker, you do realize that classes are half over, right? That means that I have caught you skipping class. You will be serving a lunch detention on Monday, do I make myself clear?" Principal Millennium asked.

Allen nodded and limped away into the nearest bathroom and began working on trying to hide his injuries and clean up the blood off him the best that he could. He had blood all over his favorite white shirt. He finally gave up trying to get the blood out with just a wet paper towel and moved on to his face. He wiped all the blood off, but he wasn't able to do anything about the lumps that were beginning to show on his neck. He decided to skip the rest of class. He didn't want anyone to see him the way he was right now. Besides, class was over in five minutes.

Five long, agonizing minutes of silence later, the final bell rang. Allen bolted out of the bathroom as fast as he could. He ignored the throbbing in his right leg and sprinted to his locker, did his combination as fast as his fingers would allow him, threw in his books, slammed the locker, and took off for the door. He started thinking of ways that he could have his injuries go unnoticed by his friends.

_If I make it out of here fast enough no one will see me. Then_ _I can stay out of school for a couple days while the bruises go away, then I can just say I was sick or somth—_His thoughts were cut off when he ran into someone and fell to the floor. "Sorry, sorry" Allen apologized quickly, standing up ready to bolt again, but he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Woah, woah, woah. Calm down there Allen, what's the big rush?" Lavi asked.

Of course, the one person he really didn't want to see was the person in front of him. He looked at the ground and tried his best to cover his face with his white hair so Lavi couldn't see.

"Um, ah, nothing, really. I was just, uh, getting home before Master gets mad about something. So, I have to go. Bye!" Allen tried again to book it, but Lavi held him back.

"Okay, something's up with you. Whenever you get nervous about something you start speaking in your British accent. How about you quit running away and tell me what's going—" Lavi cut off when he saw Allen's shirt. "Is that blood?" Lavi asked.

Allen shook his head furiously and still refused to look Lavi in the eye.

Lavi growled and grabbed Allen's chin. "Look at me when I'm talking to you dammit!" Lavi said angrily as he pulled Allen's face up so he could see. He froze instantly. Allen watched as his friend's expression turned from annoyed to murderous. "What happened, Allen?" he asked in a low, frightening voice.

Allen gulped. "N-nothing. . . ." he stammered.

"Don't give me that bull shit!" Lavi screamed.

Allen flinched at his friend's outburst. Lavi wasn't the type to yell, but when he did, it was scary.

"I . . . I fell down the stairs," Allen whimpered. It sounded fake, even to Allen. He mentally kicked himself for still speaking in his British accent. "I didn't want to tell you because you would surely laugh at me."

Lavi looked at Allen. They both knew that Lavi wasn't buying Allen's pitiful act. Finally, Lavi sighed and pulled Allen into a hug.

"I'm not stupid Allen. I know that you are lying to me. Someone did this to you and that bastard deserves to get the shit beaten out of him. Now, tell me, who did this to you?"

Allen was frozen. He didn't want to lie to Lavi; he just didn't want to give Tyki and him another topic to fight over. Lavi was the stubborn type who refused to break up with the people who he went out with; he made it so they had to break up with him. Allen had seen this back when Lavi was dating a chick that was a complete bitch and slept with two other guys while with him, and was completely open about it. Whenever he and Tyki were fighting, it was as if Lavi was dead. He wouldn't smile, he wouldn't talk, and he'd hardly ever look at anyone. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell Lavi that it was his precious 'Portuguese prince' who had done this to Allen.

"I . . . I can take care of it myself Lavi. Thanks though. I really have to go. Bye." This time, Allen was able to escape from Lavi's grasp and take off. He sprinted, despite how much his body objected, all the way to his house. To his relief, Lavi wasn't following him.

Allen was panting and aching badly by the time he had reached his front door. He unlocked his door, grunted to his master, and ran into his room.

Allen's body was hurting worse then it had when he was running. On top of that, his pillowcase was soaked from all the tears he allowed to escape from his eyes. He felt exhausted, not only from his frantic sprint and the beating he received from Tyki. The pain in his chest that he was feeling before was driving him insane. It felt as if someone was putting pressure on his chest. It was getting harder and harder to breathe it seemed. His chest was hurting more and more. . . . Allen was beginning to close his eyes. _I'll just sleep for the rest of the day,_ He thought to himself.

Just then, Allen's phone vibrated in his pocket. He grumbled as he pulled it out. Of course, the text message was from Lavi.

**4:26 pm: r u ok? ur rlly starting to freak me out ya kno. :(**

Allen ignored the message and tossed his phone to the other side of the room. "Leave me alone already," he grumbled as he laid back down on his bed. The phone vibrated a few more times, but Allen couldn't care any less. In a few moments, he finally fell asleep.

"Brat! I'm sending that fag friend of yours up to your room!" Cross bellowed, awaking Allen right away.

Before Allen could force himself to ignore the pain in his body and sit up, Lavi threw open his door and stomped in. "Okay, first thing, I hate that man. Second, why the hell are you ignoring me? And third—" the third thought was never expressed because he saw Allen in the pitiful state he was in. "Allen . . . Are you alright?"

Allen forced himself to smile. "Yeah, I'm just fine. Never been better. Although, you interrupted my nap. Why are you here Lavi?"

"Why do you think beansprout?" Lavi asked while shutting the door behind him. He walked across the room to Allen's desk chair and rolled it to Allen's bed and sat down. "I was worried about you, little buddy."

Allen groaned. "Okay, well you didn't have to come to my house."

"Yes I did. You weren't answering my text messages." There was silence then.

Allen noticed that Lavi was staring at his face and started to feel embarrassed. "What are you staring at?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing really. I was just wondering, you were holding your stomach when I saw you earlier. Is it okay?"

"Ye-yeah. It's fine. Don't worry about i—" Allen's comment was cut off as Lavi lifted up the younger teen's shirt without any warning and began to stare at the bruises that were beginning to form. Allen's face was getting warm as he watched Lavi carefully examine his torso. He barely managed to suppress a gasp when he felt Lavi's cool fingers gently trail along the bruises. Lavi gritted his teeth as his fingers delicately outlined the blotches.

Finally, Lavi put Allen's shirt down and stood up. "I can't believe you won't let me help you," he mumbled as he walked out of Allen's room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Allen knew that Lavi was hurt because he didn't think that he was trusted, but he just couldn't tell him. No matter how badly he really wanted to.

After watching Lavi's old pickup pull slowly out of his driveway, he laid on his bed and allowed himself to cry once more until he fell asleep.

**[Edited 2/15/12: Note from the Author: Hey there! Thanks for reading! It means a lot to me. I'm sorry if this was hard to follow at all. As I said before, this is my first fanfic so my grammar wasn't the best when I started this. Hehe, it still isn't, but at least I've improved (at least I like to think so ^^;). I fixed it the best I could without rewriting the entire thing (I'm too lazy to do that xD). I'll be rewriting my other chapters too if I have some spare time.  
><strong>

**Thanks again for reading! Please review! It'd make my day =D I hope you'll continue reading!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001] **


	2. Chapter 2

**[Note from the Author: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading Chapter One and for the few reviews I got. It means so much to me. I thought that no one would read this, seeing as I'm a crappy writer and all xD Anyway, to answer some questions that are being asked:  
><strong>**  
><strong>**Yes, Allen still has his red arm and his scar, it will be mentioned shortly in this chapter.  
><strong>**  
><strong>**Yes, Allen is still Cross's monkey and has his poker skills to earn money for tobacco and alcohol and to pay off debts.  
><strong>**  
><strong>**The other characters will be brought up briefly in this chapter, but will be around more during the week days.  
><strong>**  
><strong>**Finally, I have decided that Allen will date someone soon, but you are going to have to read to find out ;D  
><strong>**  
><strong>**I forgot this last time, but I don't own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This is purely fanwritten and I am not making any kind of profit off it.  
><strong>**  
><strong>**Last but not least, thanks to all my readers. I really hope that you enjoy this story. I was inspired to write this because I have been in Allen's shoes.  
><strong>**  
><strong>**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

Chapter Two

The next morning Allen woke up in even more pain then he had been in the night before. He grunted as he painfully rolled off his bed and limped to the bathroom across the hall. Once inside, he began to study the bruises on his neck and his face. The bridge of his nose was indigo, his right eye was black, and his left cheek was purple. The red scar on his left cheek was still visible, but it was a bit harder to see. His neck on the other hand was almost completely violet on the left side. There was no way that Allen could hide these injuries.

Very carefully, Allen slid his shirt off his body and examined his torso in the mirror. "Sweet Jesus..." he mumbled at the sight of his chest being almost entirely cover by bruises. His red arm was already ugly enough, but now he had a black and blue chest. He thought of Lavi touching his chest so daintily. _That felt so good..._ Allen saw his face begin to glow red in his reflection. He quickly shook that thought away from his mind. _No! No! I can't keep thinking about Lavi like that! He's my best friend. He has Tyki... _At that thought Allen almost screamed. In order to keep an angry screech from escaping his lips, he bit down on his tongue as hard as he could. The pain instantly calmed him down. He spit blood into the sink and turned towards the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Allen was in his room toweling his white hair dry after putting on his favorite pair of jeans. _I should probably call Lavi and apologize for yesterday._ He walked over to his phone which was still laying next to his closet from when he had tossed it there the day before. He flipped it open to see that he had four unread messages. All from Lavi.

**4:32 pm: ello? r u ok or wat? :/**

**4:50 pm: seriously, i need to kno if ur alrite or not. **

**5:10 pm: i swear if u dnt reply in the nxt 2 mins im gonna come to ur house. **

**5:12 pm: k here i come. :(**

Allen suddenly felt bad. Lavi really did care what happened and wanted to help him, but he had only pushed him away. He wouldn't be able to hear Lavi's voice now. The guilt would start to eat him alive if he did. He decided to send his friend a text message instead.

_8:43 am: Hey. I'm really sorry for yesterday. Is there anyway that you and I could hang out later today?_

**8:46 am: sorry dude, kinda hangin w/ my portuguese prince 2da still havent forgiven u 4 yday -.-**

_8:47 am: Come one Lavi, please forgive me? I didn't mean to be a jerk yesterday, I was just having a really bad day. _

**8:49 am: i culd tell. no i dnt forgive u. i only will if u tell me who beat u up so i can kick the shit out of them! =.=***

_8:51 am: But Lavi, I can take care of the issue myself. I don't need any help. _

**9:01 am: fine. dnt talk 2 me anymore unless u tell me who hurt u. i h8 2 b like this, but ur not givin me much of a choice. I JUST WANNA HELP U! **

_9:03 am: Lavi! Don't be like that! Please!_

Allen waited a half hour before he finally gave up. Lavi was really serious about ignoring him until he finally told him who hurt him so that he could go on a rampage. "Ugh!"

"Brat! Get your ass down here!" Cross bellowed from the bottom of the stairs. Allen sighed and set his towel down on his bed and walked towards the stairs. He didn't feel like putting on a shirt right now. He was in his own house, he didn't need to hide his hideous arm or the bruises.

When Allen reached the bottom of the stairs, he was instantly thrown against the wall by Cross. Allen clutched his stomach and groaned. "Dammit, Master! That hurt!"

"Shut up, you stupid brat!" Cross yelled while he aimed a roundhouse kick for Allen's head. Luckily, Allen dodged just in time. This was how the two males said 'good morning' to one another. They would spar for about a half hour, or until Allen begged for mercy. Today, Allen was begging within two minutes.

"Ow, Master, please stop! I'm hurting really badly!"

"That's the point, Brat!"

"Master, please! Mercy!"

"No! Your punishment for giving up quickly is to be beaten!"

"Noo! Master!"

After ten long minutes of getting the snot beaten out of him, Cross finally grew bored and walked to the kitchen to grab a beer. "You are a useless excuse for an apprentice, boy," Cross growled as he opened his beer and chugged half of it. "I thought that you wanted to learn how to fight so you could stand up to people like the ones who killed your dad, huh? How are you supposed to be a good fighter if you let yourself get beaten up at a school filled with wusses?"

Allen winced. Cross was speaking the truth. The reason why Allen was even putting up with Cross who was a pathetic excuse for a guardian was because Cross was teaching the young teen how to defend himself against anyone who would try to hurt him. When he was twelve, he watched as his adoptive father Mana was beaten and killed before his eyes.

Not a single day went by without Allen wishing that he had been stronger that day. That's why he allowed Marian Cross to take him in. The man was in the special forces years ago and knew how to fight.

"I was going to tell you to go earn some money, but I can't have you leaving the house like that. Someone will end up calling child protective services on me or some shit like that."

Allen sighed. _Typical Master, only thinking about himself. _

"What did that faggot friend of yours want yesterday? He came into _my_ house as if he owned it. The only reason I allowed it was because he had said it was an emergency. That little queer is lucky that I didn't kick his ass."

The white-haired teen gritted his teeth. He hated it when Master Cross called Lavi names like fag or queer or any other names really. "He was just worried about my injuries is all."

Cross chuckled. "Watch out boy, I think that little homo has a crush on you."

Allen blushed. _No, no, no. Come on, don't listen to what he says. You know it's not true. Don't get your hopes up... _"Master?"

"What do you want, brat?"

"I'm not feeling too well. Would you mind if I went to bed for the day?"

"Whatever. Do what you want. Except I'm not allowing you to leave this house until the bruises on your face and neck are healed. Then I won't have to worry about be charged with beating you or whatever."

Now having permission, Allen raced up the stairs into his bedroom and shut the door behind him. He went straight to his bed and curled up into a ball under his comforter.

He closed his eyes and willed himself to fall asleep. That dark feeling was beginning to creep up inside him once again and he didn't want to feel as it slowly and painfully ate him away from the inside. Finally, the boy was getting his way. His eyes drooped slowly as he gratefully entered the blissful world of sleep.

*.*.*.*

Allen woke up again in the evening. He glanced at the clock on his wall, it read 7:08 pm. Yawning, he heard his phone vibrating from his desk. He painfully sat up and flipped his phone open. He found that he had several messages from Lavi and Lenalee.

**10:02 am: r u gonna tell me now?**

**11:36 am: hb now?**

**12:27 pm: now?**

**1:52 pm: now? ! ? !**

2:01 pm: Heyy Allen! Want to hang with me at the mall later? :]

**2:31 pm: r u ignoring me now? O.O"**

**2:51 pm: u r so ignoring me rnt u? T^T**

**3:11 pm: y wont u just tell me alredy? -.-**

**5:16 pm: DONT YOU IGNORE ME ALLEN WALKER! =.=****

**7:09 pm: fine. i c how it is -.- **

Allen sighed. Lavi really hated being ignored. Allen was tempted to not reply now because Lavi was the one who started the ignoring in the first place, but he decided against it.

_7:10 pm: I thought that you were ignoring me? _

**7:11 pm: flippin jesus. i thought u died or sumthin.**

_7:13 pm: No, just was in a deep slumber. What do you want? I thought that you were refusing to talk to me for the time being?_

**7:15 pm: that was b4 i got lonely :(**

_7:16 pm: Lonely?_

**7:18 pm: yea. my prince and i r still arguing. n lenalee went 2 the mall n yuu h8s wen i txt him. ive had no1 all day :,(**

_7:19 pm: I'm sorry, Lavi. _

**7:20 pm: yea watevr. so have u decided to tell me yet?**

_7:22 pm: No. I am not bringing you into this. I can deal with this myself so please stop asking. _

**7:24 pm: but beansproooooout!**

_7:25 pm: No 'buts'! And my name is Allen!_

**7:26 pm: aaaaarrrrrgggggg! u r rlly gettin on my nerves!**

_7:28 pm: Then just go back to ignoring me!_

Once again, Allen chucked his phone across the room. He was really getting upset that Lavi didn't trust him to fight for himself. But what made him even more upset was the fact that he _wanted_ to tell Lavi. He wanted to show proof to his best friend that Tyki is dangerous. _Dammit! Dammit, dammit, dammit!_ Allen punched himself in the gut and cursed at the pain that shot through his entire upper body.

Suddenly, Allen heard his stomach growl. He remembered that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch the day before. Although he wanted nothing more then to continue beating himself up for his own stupidity, the boy _needed _to eat. He stood up slowly, wincing from the protest of his really sore muscles, and slowly went downstairs to raid the fridge.

*.*.*.*

Allen stumbled back into his room. He had eaten a meatloaf sandwich, some steak, chicken tenders, rice and stew, and some Jell-O. He was full and was ready for bed.

The teen flopped onto his bed and shut his eyes. He was ready to fall asleep again. He didn't know why he was as tired as he was, he had slept all freaking day for Pete's sake! Just as his eyes were getting heavy and sleep was just a moment away, Allen felt an unwelcome yet familiar feeling snake it's way into his stomach. _Ugh, of course._  
>This unnamed black emotion made his gut twist, turn, tear in many directions and it was making it hard to breathe. It always crept on Allen in the worst of times. It was always when Allen was with Lavi, or whenever he was alone. Tears began to flood his vision once again.<p>

Allen tried to place this horrible emotion on multiple occasions. It couldn't be depression, this was so much more intense. It wasn't jealousy, anger, or even pity for himself. It was impossible. He just couldn't figure it out. This emotion that goes unnamed has pushed him close to the edge on multiple occasions. Glancing at his right wrist, he could barely make out the white, faded scars in the dark. He had cut himself numerous times on nights just like this one.

His eyes flicked to the top drawer of his desk. That's where he kept his knife. It was safely hidden underneath the pictures of Mana that Allen had managed to save. Retrieving the knife was a hard task, because it meant that he had to stare back at Mana's smiling face to do so. Now that Allen thought about it, he's pretty sure that's why he had hidden it there in the first place. Maybe seeing Mana's face would make him think better thoughts. Unfortunately for Allen, it never worked. Instead of feeling nostalgic thoughts with a pang of sadness at the sight of his beloved father, he would feel guilt wash over him because he knew that Mana would never approve of his actions and would be disappointed. This only added to Allen's sadness to the unnamed black emotion and made him cut himself deeper. When Allen cut, he could feel the sharp pain make all his other pains slowly fade away. It proved to him that emotional pain was really no match for physical pain.

No one knew that he cut. He already always wore long sleeved shirts with gloves to hide his hideous left arm. He knew that if his friends found out, they would definitely be angry at him.

Thankfully, Allen was too tired and already in too much pain to physically harm himself tonight. He couldn't muster the energy to make himself get off his bed and retrieve the hidden weapon. Consequently, without the blade Allen was forced to endure the horrible emotion until he finally fell asleep.

**[Note from the Author: Hey everyone. Thanks again for reading. I wanted to warn you that the next chapter will not be uploaded as quickly because I haven't started writing it yet. Anyway, sorry if my writing bores you, but thanks for reading anyway. Next chapter will be a bit happier and you will get to see who Allen dates! \(^w^)/ **

**Until Next time!**

**~Kumori] **


	3. Chapter 3

**[Note from the Author: Hey everyone! I just wanted to thank everyone for reading this for as long as you have. Also, extra thanks for those of you who have reviewed my story. It means a whole lot to me, so thanks a bunch! ****  
><strong>**I promised you all a happier chapter so that's what you're going to get. Enjoy! ****  
><strong>**One last thing. There will be a lot of text messaging in this chapter so I wanted to point this out. ****  
><strong>_Italic _**Allen****  
><strong>**Bold = Lavi****  
><strong>Plain **= Lenalee****  
><strong>**Underline**** = Tyki****  
><strong>***Star* = Road****  
><strong>**By the way, before I forget, I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This story is purely fanwritten and I'm not making any sort of profit off it. ****  
><strong>**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

Chapter Three

_Vrr_... _Vrrrr._.. Allen mumbled in frustration at his cell phone. He was actually having a pleasant dream about him and Mana when he was younger. He didn't want to wake up, but his cell phone was being persistent. Finally, he gave up trying to ignore the damned thing and got out of bed.

Today his bruises were darker and more sensitive. He'd heard somewhere that the third day is when bruises are the most sensitive to pain and Allen agreed. After five minutes of struggling with his sore body, he reached his phone and flipped it open. It was a message from Lenalee.

8:42 am: Heyy.

_8:49 am: Good morning Lenalee. _

8:51 am: Yay! You replied!

_8:52 am: Yes I did. How are you? _

8:55 am: Pretty good. I had a question about Lavi. Do you know what's up with him? He's been upset since yesterday.

_8:57 am: Is he still fighting with Tyki? _

8:58 am: No. They made up last night. He said that you were keeping secrets.

_9:02 am: Did he tell you what I was keeping from him?_

9:04 am: No! I asked him, but he kept saying that it's not his secret to tell. You'll tell me, right? *tears up*

_9:05 am: It's nothing. I was being bullied on Friday and I tried to tell Lavi that I can deal with it myself, but he wouldn't listen. _

9:06 am: WHAT? SOMEONE'S BULLYING MY SWEET BEANSPROUT?

_9:08 am: Not you too.. _

9:11 am: YES ME TOO! SOMEONE'S HURTING MY PRECIOUS BEANSPROUT! WHO IS IT? I'LL USE BROTHER'S ROBOTS AND TEAR THEM LIMB FROM LIMB! *cracks knuckles and glares evilly*

_9:13 am: Lenalee, I appreciate your concern, but I can deal with this myself. Why can't you or Lavi understand that I am not a small child! I can deal with my own problems! I wish you two would just stop intruding on my business already! _

9:14 am: . . .

_9:16 am: I'm sorry Lenalee, I didn't mean to snap.. _

9:19 am: It's fine. I'm sorry for intruding. It's just that I worry for you. I'm sure that Lavi's worried out of his mind too.

_9:19 am: I know..._

9:20 am: Don't try keeping everything to yourself, Allen. Lavi and I love you like a little brother and we just want you to be safe and happy.

_9:22 am: I know. I love you guys too, but there are just some things that I want to deal with myself._

9:24 am: Okay, I understand.

_9:26 am: Thank you. So how was your trip to the mall yesterday? _

9:29 am: It was AMAZING! I met up with Road Kamelot while I was browsing in Hot Topic. We hung out for the rest of the day.

_9:32 am: Road Kamelot? Isn't that Tyki's little sister?_

9:35 am: Yep! Although she acts nothing like Tyki. It's weird. He's always serious, but she is childish.

_9:37 am: She sounds interesting. _

9:40 am: *smirks* About Road being interesting...

_9:41 am: Umm..?_

9:45 am: While we were hanging out she told me that she has had the biggest crush on you for the past two years. She asked me to ask you out for her. You should totally do it! She is such a sweet girl and I think that having a girlfriend will do you some good.

_9:47 am: Uhh.. Um.. I don't know.._

9:49 am: Come on Allen! Please? *puppy dog eyes*

_9:55 am: But I've hardly talked to her unless it was to lend her my chemistry notes or something. _

9:57 am: Take a chance Beansprout!

_9:59 am: My name is Allen!_

10:01 am: Whatever.

_10:04 am: Well... I guess it couldn't hurt..._

10:05 am: *gasp* Is that your way of saying yes?

_10:06 am: I suppose..._

10:08 am: OMG! ALLEN WALKER AGREED TO GO OUT WITH ROAD KAMELOT! *squeal* My little beansprout is growing up so fast!

_10:10 am: My name is ALLEN! _

10:14 am: I know, I know. I'm going to give Road your number okay? I gtg. I'll ttyl at school tomorrow. Bye! Love you~!

Allen reread his conversation with Lenalee and was stunned. _Did I really just agree to be with a stranger I hardly know? _

*.*.*.*

"Come on, Master! Just let me take a quick walk please! Being stuck in the house is driving me insane!"

"Get over it you useless brat! If I let you outside this house someone's going to think that I've been abusing you!"

"No one will think that!"

"But what if someone does? Then I'd lose my source of income!"

"Ugh! Whatever." Allen stomped up the stairs angrily. He hated being stuck inside for too long. He walked into his room and fell on his bed. Not only was he anxious from being locked inside all day, he was also worried because he hadn't heard from Lavi all day. _This calls for music_ Allen thought to himself as he turned to his radio. He surfed the radio channels until he found one that wasn't static-y.

"_Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me? Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a–_"

_Okay, scratch that. No music. _He laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. He was tired again, but he didn't want to sleep. Glancing at his phone on his bedside table, Allen was tempted to call Lavi. He knew that he should, but at the same time he knew that it was probably best if he didn't. He didn't want to cause another fight with his friend. Sighing, the boy rolled over and decided to go to sleep after all. Besides, until his body healed a bit, he wouldn't be allowed to go outside of the house and sleep was essential when it came to healing. In no time at all, the young teenager was fast asleep. Tonight, the unnamed emotion didn't come.

*.*.*.*

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, be- CRASH! _"Friggin' alarm..." Allen said groggily. He had thrown his alarm clack across the room and into his closet door. "Six is too early dammit..." he mumbled. He was curled up and ready to fall back asleep when his phone began to vibrate. "Jesus Christ." Rolling over and flipping his phone open, he saw that he had a new message from his new girlfriend.

*6:03 am: Good morning Allen~! Would you like to walk to school with me?*

_6:04 am: Sorry Road, I'm sick this morning. I can't come to school today. Maybe tomorrow?_

*6:05 am: Aww that's too bad. I'm sorry Allen =( I'll stop by after school to see how you are doing, okay?*

_6:07 am: Thank you Road, but that won't be necessary. I'm fine. _

*6:08 am: Oh. Okay. Well, I'll see you soon okay?*

_6:09 am: Of course. Have a great day._

**6:11 am: hey. r u coming 2 skool 2day?**

_6:12 am: To Lavi: No. Master won't let me leave the house until at least the bruises on my face heal. He's afraid someone will call child protective services on him or something. _

**6:13 am: psshh how lame. now who am i supposed to hang out w/?**

_6:14 am: Lenalee? Kanda? _

**6:15 am: -sighs- i guess. wont b as much fun w/out u there tho. **

_6:16 am: I'm sorry... _

**6:17 am: watevz. hey wuld cross h8 me if i knocked on ur door rite now? **

_6:18 am: Umm... No. He is probably sleeping right now. Why? _

**6:19 am: no reason**

Just then, Allen could hear a knocking at his front door. He walked down the stairs and opened the door. Of course, Lavi was standing before him grinning his usual goofy smile.

"Hey, friend!" he said while waving like an idiot.

"Lavi! What the hell are you doing here? It's not even six thirty in the morning!"

"Ya'know, your British accent is really adorable. I never knew you spoke in it when you were pissed off too! I'll have to keep this in mind."

"Lavi, what are you doing at my house at six twenty in the bloody morning?" Allen asked, now irritated that he had switched back into his default accent.

"That's easy. I'm skipping school with my bestest friend in the entire world!"

"What?"

"You heard me. If you have to miss out in school, then I'll keep ya company. You're welcome."

"Lavi, you're crazy. Go back home until its time to leave for school. It's way too early to be here bugging me!"

"Nope! I refuse. I am giving you two choices, and you have to pick one of the two." Lavi held up two fingers to emphasize what he was saying. "You can either let me skip school with you until you get better, or you can tell me right here and now who hurt you. Make your pick. If you let me stay with you, I won't bring that other issue up ever again."

Allen thought about his choices. In fact, this would be a really good thing for him. After all, not only would he actually have something to do that day, but then Lavi would stop bothering him about getting beaten up. "Promise you'll let what happened Friday drop?" he asked.

"I swear," Lavi vowed.

"Fine. Come on in." Allen stepped back and allowed Lavi into his house. The two boys quietly walked up to Allen's room and shut the door. "Okay, well I'm going back to sleep. I'll take the floor so you can sleep on my bed if you want," the younger teen yawned.

Lavi shook his head. "Nope. It's your bed, I'll take the floor."

"But the floor is uncomfortable," the white haired boy insisted.

"Exactly. So that's why I'll sleep on the floor."

"No. I'm the host and you're my guest, that means you get the bed." Before Lavi could argue anymore with him, Allen walked to his closet, pulled out his extra blanket, and laid on the floor.

Lavi sighed in defeat and climbed into his friend's bed.

Ten minutes passed since their argument and Allen hadn't been able to fall asleep. _Who knew my floor was so cold? _He tried bundling himself inside his blanket more, but he was still freezing.

"Allen, I can hear your teeth chattering from over here," the red head commented sleepily.

"So? I'm fine."

"Get your stubborn ass over here. There's enough room on the bed for the both of us."

"N-No thanks. I'm f-fine where I am," Allen stuttered. _I can't lay next to Lavi! _He could feel his heart rate steadily begin to increase.

Suddenly, another blanket was draped across Allen and he could feel something warm press against his back.

"Why must you be so damn headstrong, Beansprout?" Lavi whispered in the younger teen's ear. He sounded as if he was half asleep.

"My name is Allen," the boy replied. He knew that he was blushing. His favorite red-head was pressed against his back and had his arms wrapped around his body.

A few minutes later, Allen was feeling tired from the soothing heat and his best friend's gentle snoring behind him. He turned his head to glance at the older teen. His red hair was no longer held back in his signature green headband so it was everywhere and he had also abandoned his Black Order High hoodie so he was wearing an orange tank top with a black design on the chest. His face was calm and peaceful. _God, Lavi is so sexy when he's sleeping_ Allen thought as he finally tore his gaze from his best friend.

"You stupid rabbit," Allen mumbled before he finally drifted off to sleep in Lavi's arms.

**[****Note from the Author: So, how was that for an ending? I loved writing it. I promised you all a happier chapter and I hope that's what you got. Honestly, writing tragedies and depressing stories are really more my style, but I guess I can write happy stuff every now and then :P****Anyway, next chapter will actually take place in school so Allen will have to face a jealous Tyki and a new clingy girlfriend. I hope you guys keep reading!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori****  
><strong>**By the way, thank you bunches and bunches for the reviews I've received. I would get email notifications from my email at school and I think I worried my friends with my random happy outbursts. xD Thanks for the ego boosts! ;D]**


	4. Chapter 4

**[Note from the Author: Hey everyone! Thanks for tuning in for chapter four! Again, thank you everyone who was awesome enough to leave me a review (even if you didn't, you're still awesome) and I wanted to answer some questions. **

**I was asked about Link and the Central of the Order. Honestly, I am only on chapter 134 of the -Man manga so I have no idea who those people are. Worry not though, I have been reading in my spare time and I plan on using the characters if I can. **

**Also, I was asked how long this will be. I was hoping to make it at least ten chapters. I think that ten is a good number. I may make more though. **

**Finally, my friend who has been reading this asked me if Road was going to show up more. Of course she is, it's just that I was really lazy in the last chapter so I made everything in text messages xD.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This is purely fanwritten and I am not making any sort of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

Chapter Four

"Oi, I knew this was going to happen. Wake up you homos!"

Allen sat straight up and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Cross was standing in his doorway with his arms folded across his chest glaring at the boy.

"Whaa..?" Allen asked, still half asleep.

"You damn brat, didn't I tell you that if you were gay I didn't want to see it?"

"Huh?" Allen asked. He was very confused. That's when he realized that Lavi's arms were tight around him in an iron grip. The red head was dangling from Allen's neck sleeping. That's when it clicked. "No, Master, you have the wrong idea. We were just keeping warm–"

"Dear God, I don't want to hear this," Cross said in disgust as he walked out of the room.

Allen glared at his sleeping friend. "Dammit Lavi, now because of you Master is going to kick the crap out of me later!"

"Is that a British accent I hear?" Lavi beamed with his eye still closed.

"You were awake?" Allen asked.

"Yeah. I've been awake for like a half hour now, but you looked warm so I didn't move. Also, Cross is a scary sonomabitch so I just pretended to be asleep while he was here." Lavi opened his eye and gave Allen a huge grin.

Allen glared at his friend. "If you were awake you should have woken me up!"

"But I was enjoying watching you sleep. Ya'know that you mumble a lot? Something about 'Butterfly Boy's a bitch and I'll never forgive him for what he's done'?" Lavi's beautiful emerald eye narrowed at Allen. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about my Portuguese Prince would you?"

The younger boy's throat went dry. _Crap! What do I say? Ugh! I finally got him to stop asking about Friday only to have him bring this up. Ugh! _"He, uh, at my cookie awhile back. Remember when Lenalee brought cookies for everyone? When he stole my cookie? I'm still angry at him for it." Allen was suddenly thankful for his quick thinking. About a month before, Lenalee had brought an entire plate of cookies to school and Tyki actually had taken Allen's cookie to make him angry. He was actually over it already, but it was the best excuse he could come up with at the moment.

Lavi bought his little fib. He chuckled. "Jeez, Beansprout, when it comes to food you can hold one hell of a grudge."

"Yeah. I know."

Lavi finally let go of Allen and stretched. Allen followed suit. After cleaning up the mess of blankets, the boys went downstairs to eat breakfast.

Lavi was content with a medium can of mandarin oranges and a glass of chocolate milk. Allen on the other hand ate six Eggo Waffles, two Poptarts, a bowl of Froot Loops, two slices of toast, three cereal bars, a grapefruit and a large glass of orange juice. After scarfing down his food, Allen walked over to Lavi and punched him in the shoulder. "Ow! Sheesh, Beansprout, what was that for?"

"My name is Allen! And that was for sleeping by me. Now I'm going to get my butt kicked later by Master because of you!"

Lavi chuckled. "What? You were freezing. It's not my fault that it's December and your house isn't warm. Besides, we were just huddling."

"Huddling?" Allen asked confused.

"Ya'know huddling, like penguins do in Antarctica."

Allen face palmed. "Really, Lavi? Penguins?"

"You know it!" Allen smiled to himself. He really missed messing around with Lavi over the weekend. It may have only been two days apart, it seemed like a year to Allen. "Speaking of getting the shit beat out of you, commere a sec," Lavi said, gesturing Allen with his hand. Allen stepped closer to Lavi and the red head tilted his head up, down, left and right to examine the bruises on his face. "The bruises on your face have gotten a little better. I read about bruises somewhere and you have just light ones. It should be completely healed in about a week and a half or so from when you got them."

Allen could tell that Lavi was biting his cheek. _He's still really upset about it, but he's keeping his promise. _

"The bruising on your neck is a little more severe," Lavi continues tilting Allen's head up all the way. "I'd say that they might take an extra few days to heal."

Allen noticed that there was blood between Lavi's teeth as he spoke. _He bit his cheek open.._ Lavi released Allen's face and walked away. The younger boy heard him mumble something about a rat bastard and a hammer.

"So, Lavi, what are you planning to do all day?"

"Huh?" Lavi asked.

"You came all the way to my house to skip school, so what are you planning on doing all day?"

Lavi thought about this for a moment.

"Let's see, we can raid your Master's liquor cabinet, steal his car, drive to the pizza parlour and cause some collisions on the way, steal a pizza, rob a bank, then come back here and nap on the couch."

Allen blinked at his friend. "Or, we could go finish watching Demyx Time on YouTube?"

Lavi shrugged. "Not as awesome as my plan, but I guess it'll do."

For the next three and a half hours or so, the duo watched the fanmade show with some of their favorite Kingdom Hearts characters. After they finally ran out of episodes, they began to watch AMVs.

Suddenly, Allen's phone started to vibrate in his pocket.

*1:54 pm: Hey Allen~! I was wondering if you knew where Lavi was. Tyki is upset that it's almost sixth period and he hasn't replied to any of his texts*  
>"Lavi is your phone off or something?" Allen asked, looking up from his phone.<p>

"Yeah. Why?" Lavi asked, pulling out his own phone.

"Because Road says that Tyki's been trying to get a hold of you and you haven't replied and now he's getting upset."

"Oh shit, really?" Lavi quickly turned on his phone and skimmed through all the messages that he had unintentionally ignored. "Damn, fifteen unread messages." Just before sending a quick apology to Tyki, Lavi paused. "Wait a sec, since when do you talk to Road?"

"Ever since she asked Lenalee to ask me out," Allen said simply.

"WHAT? Why didn't you tell me right away? I'm so proud of ya dude! You finally have a girlfriend!"

"Uh, thanks? And I didn't tell you sooner because you were ignoring me for awhile and then we were busy all day."

"Oh. Right. Well, now we have to speed up your healing process! Don't you want to go to school so you can hang out with your new girlfriend?" The red-head shoved the younger teen out of the way of the computer with so much force that Allen fell back out of his chair and hit his head. The older teen hardly noticed because he was typing furiously.

"What are you doing, Lavi?" Allen asked while rubbing the back of his head.

"I'm looking up easy ways to get rid of bruises quickly. Duh." Allen fixed his chair and glanced over Lavi's shoulder. "Yes! This one is perfect! This could have your bruises gone by tomorrow!"

Allen read the article that he was reading and cringed. "Oh hell no, Lavi. We are not letting leeches suck out the surface blood of my bruises. You're crazier then I thought you were if you think I'm going to agree to that."

"Aw, but come on, Allen. We have to think about Road. She'll be so sad that you are out 'sick' just as the two of you start dating. Then she'll think that you are ignoring her or something."

"No," Allen said glaring. Lavi just shrugged and went back to searching.

"You haven't taken any sort of pain killers, have you?"

"No. Why?"

"I've read on multiple articles that taking pain killers would be bad because they're increase blood flow and could cause blood clots." Allen's eyes went wide at that. "Don't worry, it's pretty rare, but it does happen. Mostly in serious bruising though, so I suppose you would be fine, but it's better to not take the chance." After about ten more minutes of research, Lavi opened Allen's desk drawer and pulled out a notepad and took a pen from the cup next to his computer monitor then began to scribble furiously. "Perfect!" Lavi yelled as he suddenly stood up, once again knocking Allen on the floor. The older teen grabbed Allen by the wrist and began to yank him out of the room. "I have a whole list of stuff we can try! Let's go!"

Allen groaned. "These remedies that you have found better not include leeches."

"Not this time," Lavi chuckled. Once in the living room, Lavi turned to Allen and quickly lifted Allen's shirt over his head.

"Hey!" Allen protested, face glowing red.

"Silence Beansprout. Doctor Bookman will see you now," Lavi said with a grin. He looked at his list. "Alright, we can start with the raw onion or banana treatment, or we could go with the vinegar remedy. Or we can keep it simple and start with the alternating between an ice pack and a heat pad if you'd rather."

"Wait, what about a raw onion?" Allen asked in confusion.

"Never mind, just shut up and sit down." Lavi gently pushed on Allen's chest until he fell on the couch. "Stay there," he said and walked off into the kitchen. As Lavi was preparing the treatments, Allen's phone began to vibrate in his pocket.

2:32 pm: Allen, why is Lavi at your house? He says that you needed help because you were 'healing'. Care to explain? 

_2:33 pm: It was either let him skip school and stay at my house or he would keep asking me about the beating you gave me. So leave me alone Butterfly Princess, I'm saving _your _butt here. _

2:34 pm: Saving my butt? I don't follow. 

_2:36 pm: If I didn't let Lavi stay here, he would have kept questioning me and then found out that you were the one who injured me. Then he would break up with you. So shut up and leave me alone already. I'm doing you a favor, although I don't know why I even bother. _

2:38 pm: Quit lying to yourself, Beansprout. You know that Lavi will never believe you if you tell him that I hurt you. You know very well that my Bunny would never break up with me and that if you told him something like that he would definitely take my side of the argument. You know it's true so do us all a favor and stop lying to yourself. 

_2:39 pm: Whatever, just leave me alone!_

2:41 pm: Oh? Did I hit a nerve? So you do know that Lavi wouldn't believe you. This just proves that Lavi really doesn't trust you as much as he trusts me.

Allen was about to send a reply when Lavi came back into the room with his arms full of miscellaneous objects. "Let's get healing!" Lavi gestured towards the pillow on the side of the couch.

Allen laid down and waited for the torture to commence. He wrinkled his nose when Lavi dumped a large amount of vinegar into a kitchen bowl, making the whole room reek of the harsh stench.

Lavi dropped two cotton balls in the bowl. Next he picked up a damp cloth and placed it on Allen's sore right eye. The white haired boy hissed at the heat of the rag. "Sorry, it has to be hot. Let me know when it gets cold. We have to keep your eye warm." Had Allen been listening, he would have noticed that Lavi's voice changed from joking to calm and soothing, but he was too lost in his own world to hear.

"Sure." he mumbled, not having heard the instructions given. _Does Lavi really trust me? It's not like it's something I can ask him. What Tyki said is true, even if I did tell Lavi the truth, he would never believe me. He loves Tyki too much to believe that he is dangerous. Does that mean that he loves Tyki more than he trusts me? Has the amount of love that Lavi feels for Tyki decreased the amount of trust between us? _

"ALLEN!"

"Huh, whaa?" Allen's head suddenly cleared the thoughts that were beginning to make him upset from his mind. He was back in reality with Lavi staring down at him.

"I told you to tell me when the cloth was cold. Are you alright there, little buddy?" Lavi's emerald eye was shining with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I just zoned out. Sorry."

Lavi still looked concerned. For a moment, Allen had thought that he was going to say something else, but instead he took the now cold cloth off his eye and dipped it into a bowl of steaming water. After placing the cloth back on Allen's eye, the red-head turned back to the bowl of vinegar. He used tweezers to pick up one of the cotton balls that he had dropped in the bowl and began to dab at Allen's injured chest. The boy gasped.

"Sorry, it's probably cold. I read that this should help make the color fade a bit, but it won't do much for the healing," Lavi said, continuing to gently touch every discolored part of his friend's abused torso.

Allen had soon gotten used to the slight touches and allowed his mind to wander once more. _Maybe Lavi does trust Tyki more than he trusts me. I mean, they have known each other as long as I have known him. What if Tyki does something really serious later and I do tell Lavi but he never believes me. What will I do then? Tyki is obviously a very violent person, what if he turns on Kanda next? Or even Lenalee? God, maybe I should have said something after all.. _

"Earth to Allen Walker!" Once again, Lavi's voice snapped Allen out of his daze.

"Sorry, what?"

Lavi sighed. "I said that I need to start dabbing the vinegar on your face now. That's the spot that we want the color faded the most." Lavi looked at his friend with his concern level rising. "Ya'know Allen, I don't want to ask because I promised I would let the topic drop, but the person that hurt you, they're fucking with your mind too, aren't they?" Before Allen could comment, Lavi continued. "I know that look on your face Allen. You look scared out of your mind about something. Hell, I thought that you were about to cry when I had to snap you out of it the second time." The older teen sat back and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I mean, I love you like my own little brother, ya'know? Seeing you this way just fills me up with so much rage that I feel as if I'm going to explode at any moment now." He sighed and leaned his back against the couch and laid his head on Allen's thigh. "I know that I promised I would let the issue drop, but if I asked you to tell me so I could finally feel peace, would you tell me?"

Allen was speechless. He never had someone care this much about him before since Mana. It was surprising. _Why, Lavi? Why would you waste your concern on someone as insignificant as me? _He wanted to tell Lavi. He knew that this would be the perfect time to. _This is it. I'm going to tell him. _But the words wouldn't form in his mouth. The thoughts were too jumbled in his head for him to even try to sort them out enough to get out a simple sentence. Defeated, he whispered, "Lavi, thank you. That means so much to me, but I just can't tell you. It's not that I don't trust you or anything, it's just that my pride won't allow me to have you fighting my battle for me. I'm sorry." By the time he had finished his speech, tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh no, Allen. Don't cry." Lavi soothed the younger boy as he used his thumb to swipe the tears away and then wrapped him into a tight hug. Allen clutched to his friend and cried into his shoulder. The two friends sat that way for a long time until Allen had fallen asleep.

*.*.*.*

Two days and countless remedies later, Allen was getting ready for school. As he was putting on his favorite Apocalyptica shirt, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. There was almost no sign of bruising on his face except for a dark tint around his right eye. There were still dark areas on his neck, but they could easily be hidden with a scarf. He slid on his Black Order High jacket and wrapped his gray scarf around his neck. Next he slipped his hands into his black gloves. He examined his nice black jeans and looked at the final product in the mirror. _I look good,_ Allen smiled to himself. As if on cue, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

*7:14 am: Are you ready Allen? I'm walking by your house right now.*

_7:15 am: I'm heading out now. See you in a moment. _

Allen grabbed his backpack and ran out the front door. Road was waiting for him. She was wearing a black coat with fur along the hood, a purple skirt that went down to just above her knees, and black and purple stockings with black dress shoes. She beamed at the sight of him. "Hi Allen! Good morning! Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, much actually. I'm sorry I haven't been able to walk to school with you until now."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm just glad that you're better." Road took Allen's hand in her own and started to swing them happily. "So, do you want to go to Lavi's Christmas party with me? I go every year, but I haven't had a date before." Lavi always threw huge Christmas parties because Mr. Bookman would always have to leave on an expedition of some sort. Every year his parties became more and more interesting. Last year, someone had snuck in date rape drugs. Nothing serious happened though. By the end, half the kids there were smashed or drugged. All in all, it was a successful party according to Lavi. Clean up was a bitch though.

"Yeah. I'd like that," Allen said with his best smile.

Road squealed with happiness and glomped Allen. The two continued walking to school at a leisurely pace, enjoying the company of one another.

When they reached school, Allen knew that he was in trouble. Principal Millennium was standing outside the front doors staring at him. "Welcome back, Mr. Walker," he said through his huge grin.

"Thank you," Allen mumbled. He was sure that Principal Millennium was going to give him extra detentions for being absent the past three days and was also probably going to add on another punishment on top of it just because he disliked Allen.

"Daddy! You're not planning on being mean to my Allen are you?" Road asked in a sweet voice.

"Of course not, I was just welcoming him back to school."

"Aw daddy, you're so sweet." Road grinned at her father as the couple walked past him hand in hand.

"Allen!" Before he could see who had called his name, Allen was tackled to the ground. He looked up to see a smiling Lenalee on top of him. "You're alive!" she exclaimed as she wrapped him in a big hug.

"I've only been out of school for three days, Lenalee," Allen said.

"That's too long! I was so worried about my precious Beansprout! Especially when I heard what happened on Friday, how could I not worry?"

"My name is Allen."

"I know. I know." Lenalee stood up and helped Allen to his feet. Then she looked him dead in the eye. "Are you alright?" Allen nodded.

"Great, the annoying beansprout is back." Allen turned his head to see Kanda walking towards them. "I was actually enjoying the quiet with him gone."

"It's good to see you too, Kanda."

"Che. Shut up."

"Hey! Everyone's here!" All heads turned to see their favorite red head approaching the group with his boyfriend holding his hand. Allen stiffened at the sight of Tyki. He was as tall and menacing as ever. Only now, Allen knew how dangerous he really was. The boy's chest ached with guilt. He knew that if Lavi was hurt by Tyki, it would be Allen's fault because he hadn't warned him. That's when the bell rang.

**[Note from the Author: Cliff hanger! Not really, but whatever. Two chapters in one day! I feel so accomplished. It helps that I was only in school for three hours today xD **

**Once again, thank you for reading this and if you wouldn't mind, write me a review. I would like to know how you guys think I am doing. This is my first time ever writing something like this and having it in public view so I'm still new to this. **

**The next chapter will be a little more depressing. Tyki begins his bullying once again and Allen struggles to keep it hidden from his friends. Look forward to it!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**


	5. Chapter 5

**[Note from Author: Hi friends! Thanks for waiting patiently for the next chapter! You all are amazing! **

**Well, I just wanna thank my good friend **kishimoro **with helping me with my inspirations and all that good stuff. I wubberz you Kishi! **

**Onward to the story! (I do not own DGM in any way, shape, or form and I'm not making a profit off it. It's purely fanmade. Also, the songs that are in here do not belong to me.)**

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

Chapter Five

The morning bell announcing the beginning of yet another long school day at Black Order High rang loudly throughout the campus. Allen was about to walk off to his calculus class when he felt someone throw themselves against his back.

"Allen~! Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?" Road whined as she hung off him from his neck.

"Oh, right." He turned around and wrapped Road into a gentle hug. "Bye, Road. I'll see you next period, okay?"

"Kyaaa! You're so adorable Allen~! I can't wait to see you!" She pecked Allen on the lips then skipped off to her class.

Allen stood there confused. _Um, what just happened? _He turned to Lavi so they could walk to calculus together. When he turned around, he saw his best friend (and secret crush) in a tight embrace with his boyfriend (who was a hell spawn born from the fiery depths of Satan's anus!) and the said hell spawn was glaring intensely at Allen. His expression also revealed a slight quizzical undertone. Knowing Allen was looking; Tyki cupped Lavi's face with his hands and kissed him.

"I love you, Bunny," he said when they parted.

"Love you too, my prince." With that, the couple separated. Lavi walked over to Allen and wrapped the younger boy into a headlock. "I can tell this is gonna be a great day Beansprout~!" the red-head chimed happily as he began to skip down the hall, dragging poor Allen along with him.

"My name is Allen" the boy mumbled weakly. The duo walked to their lockers to retrieve their books. When Allen opened his, a note fell out.

*Allen~!

I just wanted to let you know that I will be thinking about all day. I love you so so so so so so much and I hope you love me too. If I found out that you didn't love me, I would DIE! Anyway, have a great day my adorable beansprout!

Love, Road*

Allen blinked at the letter. _Isn't this what a stalker letter looks like? _He thought to himself.

"Whatcha got there?" Lavi asked, glancing over his shoulder. "Aww! You got a love letter! That's adorable!" He huggled his little friend.

_ I still think it resembles a stalker letter... _Allen though silently to himself, trying to distract his mind from the fact that Lavi was so close to him.

When the two friends finally reached their calculus class, they were five minutes late. The teacher simply glared at them as they took their seats. When the teacher turned his back, Lavi grinned at Allen.

"Guess what I got?" he asked. When Allen shrugged, he pulled out two blueberry muffins from his hoodie pockets. "Jerry gave these to me. Want one?"

"Yeah!" Allen said, nodding his head vigorously. When he was given his muffin, he was slowly taking bites, trying to savor the sweet bread. He began to watch the teacher thread numbers and variables together into impossibly complicated equations. As he was about to reach the solution, he felt the back of his shirt being pulled back and something dropped into his shirt. "What the?" He turned his head to see Lavi sprinkling bits of muffin into his shirt. "Lavi!" His friend simply grinned at him.

Allen took small bits of his own muffin and sprinkled it onto Lavi's head. Lavi gave Allen an amused look. "Oh hells to the no, bitch," he said with a smirk. He took a chunk of muffin and chucked it into Allen's eye.

"Hey!" Allen picked up his entire muffin, stood up over Lavi and slowly crumpled the pieces into his friend's fiery hair. After the crumpling was finished, he ruffled his hair, successfully blending muffin into his friend's prized hair.

Lavi looked up at his friend, his expression dark. "You. Got. Muffin. In. My. HAIR!" Lavi stood up and tackled Allen to the ground. He took the remainder of his muffin and began to shove it into Allen's face smearing it everywhere. Allen struggled to get his friend off him. He opened his mouth to yell, but a big chunk of muffin was shoved inside.

"Ahem."

The two teens looked up to see their teacher glaring at them. Lavi grinned back and Allen smiled sheepishly. "May I ask what you two think you are doing?"

"I was just feeding my pal!" Lavi said with a smile. "He looked hungry so I decided, being the awesome friend I am, I would give him my muffin."

The teacher scoffed."Really? Because to me, it looked like you two were wrestling while the rest of us were studying for the upcoming exam."

Lavi just continued to smile and Allen looked away, embarrassed. Lavi got a serious look on his face. He stood up, staring at the teacher dead in the eye. Then, he slowly raised a hand in front of his left eye, palm outwards towards the teacher. "These are not the droids you are looking for," Lavi said in a serious tone while waving his hand slowly in an arch before dropping his hand back to his side.

The teacher sighed. "Whatever, just go to the janitor's closet and get a broom and clean this up." The boys nodded then left the room.

"That was awesome!" Lavi exclaimed, skipping down the hall. He shook his head, trying to get all the muffin bits out. "You know, I'm going to have to shower now, right? I can't go on having muffin in my hair all day!" Allen smiled.

"Just shower during gym. It's only two periods away." Allen paused. "You know, I can't believe your Jedi mind trick thing worked."

Lavi laughed out loud. "I know right! I thought I was dead for sure. Maybe I should try shooting lightning out of my fingers next!"

"You with the power of lighting? God help us all." Allen chuckled. The two were walking down the hall when they saw Tyki. _Speaking of the force... _Allen though grudgingly.

"My Portuguese Prince! Help me! I've been attacked!" Lavi screamed dramatically, running towards Tyki while flailing his arms like a madman. He glomped Tyki and pointed to his hair. "Help me! My sex-a-licious hair has been infested with muffin larvae!"

Tyki smiled affectionately at his crazy boyfriend. "Oh hun, you'll be fine." He started to ruffle Lavi's hair, shaking out more pieces of sweet bread. That's when he noticed Allen standing there. Tyki glared at Allen and the younger boy averted his gaze.

"Lavi? We'd better hurry before we get detention or something," Allen mumbled.

Lavi snuggled his face into Tyki's shirt. "Noo! I don't wanna leave my prince!" Lavi whined. Tyki smiled triumphantly at Allen. The young teen could feel a horrible and familiar feeling begin to creep up on him. He had to get away from these two, and quick.

"O-okay. I'll go clean up and I'll say you're in the, uh, loo or something." He cursed his British accent and walked past the two lovebirds to the janitor's closet. He took out a broom and a dust pan and ran past the older teens. "See you in a bit."

"Allen? What's wro-" Lavi tried to reach out to Allen, but Tyki pulled him back.

"Just leave him be, hun. He's giving us time alone."

Allen shook his head furiously when he heard this, running even faster to the classroom. He ran into the room and began to sweep up the pieces of muffin, trying not to disturb the class anymore then he already had. He put his hood up, hoping no one would notice the few tears that slid down his pale cheeks.

*.*.*.*

When the mess was cleared and Allen's tears dried, Lavi crept back into the classroom and snuck into his seat, trying to look like a ninja in the process. He slid into his seat and looked at Allen. "Ya alright? You looked like you were upset about something. Plus you were using your British accent again..." Lavi trailed off as if he was trying to figure it out on his own.

"It was nothing. I was just worried about getting a detention is all, so I wanted to hurry. "

Lavi blinked at his friend. Suddenly, Lavi grabbed Allen's shoulders and pulled him down so his head was lying on his lap. Lavi slowly started stroking Allen's white hair. "That's what you were worried about? Sheesh Shortstack, you had me worried for nothing."

Allen's face was blushing brightly. He enjoyed the warmth of his best friend and the gentleness of his touch, but the unnamed feeling was beginning to eat at him once again.

"I-It's Allen." The boy mumbled half heartedly. His stomach was clenching tightly and he wanted to run to the bathroom. Lying on Lavi's lap wasn't helping his situation any. "L-Lavi, will you let me go?" he asked quietly.

"No." The younger boy turned his head to face Lavi, expecting to see the red-head's expression joking and mocking, but instead it was soft and concerned. "You were acting really weird. Did you and Tyki get into a fight or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that. I-I just feel like I'm intruding when you two are being lovey-dovey and I'm just standing there." Allen wasn't lying exactly, he was just telling half of the truth. He honestly did feel as if he was intruding, but he just didn't admit that he also felt sad when he saw Lavi with someone else. Just then, Allen's stomach clenched even tighter and he gasped. He rolled off his chair and fell onto the floor.

"Mr. Walker! Mr. Bookman! How much longer do you plan on disrupting everyone? Both of you march to the detention room now!" Lavi tried to help Allen up, but he shook off his hands and stood up himself.

"I'm fine," Allen muttered. He picked up his backpack and books and walked out of the classroom. Lavi followed him. Allen walked quickly, trying to stay in front of Lavi.

"Allen! Wait!" Lavi called, but Allen kept walking. He heard a _thump _as if something was dropped on the floor, but he kept walking. Just then, he felt two hands grab either side of his shoulders, turn him around and pinned him onto the wall. Lavi was standing in front of him panting. Allen looked over to see Lavi's bag and books at the end of the hall. _He must have dropped them so he could run after me... _

"What... is... wrong?" Lavi panted, his single emerald eye showing how fearful he was for his friend.

"I just can't have detention, okay? Master will give me the beating of a lifetime when he finds out."

Lavi glared at him skeptically. "Why don't I believe you?"

"I don't know, why don't you believe me?"

"Maybe because you started to act weird once Tyki showed up. Did you get into a fight or what?"

"I already told you that we didn't!"

"Why are you lying to him, Allen?" The two boys turned their heads to see Road walking towards them. "You know that you and brother Tyki got into a fight."

_What? How does she know about what happened? Ugh! _

Road smiled. "You know that Tyki doesn't agree with you and me dating, but since you are so amazing, you put up with his anger because you love me. Right?"

"Road, what are you doing here?" Allen asked.

"I was dismissed early from Algebra. I was going to go to the calculus room so we could walk to chemistry together, but then I saw you two out here. Back to the matter at hand, Allen and Tyki are currently in a feud over me, Lavi. It's nothing to worry about."

When Lavi heard this, he sighed in relief and released Allen. Then he punched the little guy in the shoulder.

"Ow!"

"Dammit, Allen! You keep worrying me over the dumbest shit! Stop it! You can tell me things ya'know!" He stomped to the end of the hall, picked up his things, then stomped to the detention room. Just then the bell rang, notifying the students that it was second period.

Allen turned his attention to Road. "What was that all about?" he asked.

Road shrugged. "You two were fighting over something so I came up with an excuse. You're welcome!" She grabbed Allen's hand and started to walk towards the detention room. "By the way, Tyki really is upset that the two of us are together. I don't think he would do anything, but just stay away from him for a little while, 'kay?"

"Great," Allen murmured. "Wait, why are you coming to detention?"

Road gave Allen a sweet smile. "Because you are my boyfriend now and I want to spend every minute I can with you." She gave him a pouty look. "Don't you feel the same?"

"Well, umm, I guess.."

"Good! Now let's go!" The couple walked into the dark room. The detention room was once known as the auditorium, but when the school was renovated a few years back, a new bigger one was built, so this room now served as a hell hole for students. Road pulled him past where Lavi was sitting and sat down on the far end of the room.

"Uh..." Allen glanced back at Lavi, who was refusing to look at him.

"We shouldn't sit by him," Roda said.

Allen blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

"Because you're mine and I don't want the likes of him looking at you." She growled. She leaned towards Allen's face and started to lick pieces of stray muffin crumbs off his face. "You're mine now, and I don't plan on letting you go."

Allen was stunned. He remembered when Lenalee had told him that Road and Tyki were nothing alike. Well, he was starting to see the family resemblance.

Detention passed by in a daze to Allen. He remembered a teacher coming in to lecture the 'delinquents' and then left. After that he was vaguely aware of Road gripping onto his arm so tight that it had lost circulation. Finally and mercifully, the bell announcing it was time for third period rang.

Allen tried to run out of the room, but it was a hard task with Road gripping his arm. "R-Road, I have to go to gym now."

Road only gripped tighter. "Noo! Don't leave me!"

"It's only for one period. Lunch is after this, you know."

Road looked up at Allen and smiled. He suddenly regretted opening his mouth. "You're right! We can go off and do something together at lunch! Great idea! This is why I love you Allen, you're so smart!" She let go of his arm and kissed him. He tried to push her back, but she wouldn't budge. She licked his lip and he stiffened. He managed to pull away. He looked at her grinning face. "You taste so sweet!" She turned and started to skip down the hall. "Bye Allen! See you at lunch!"

Allen stood there stunned. He didn't know what to think. He was pretty sure that his brain had just imploded. Of course, to make matters worse, he turned around to see Lavi watching him.

"Well, that was an interesting display of affection there, little buddy." Lavi said. Allen blushed deeply and looked at the floor. Lavi seemed different. He wasn't as happy as he normally would be, he seemed a little depressed.

"I-I guess so..."

"Whatever."

Allen felt a lump form in his throat. _He's probably upset that I didn't sit by him in detention... _

"Uh... Um, want to go take that shower now, Lavi? We can get the 'muffin larvae' out of you 'sex-a-licious' hair?"

Lavi perked up instantly. He turned to Allen and smiled. "My hair is sex-a-licious isn't it? He asked running his fingers through his prized fiery hair.

Allen sighed in relief that his friend was feeling better. The duo walked into the locker room and Lavi stripped so he could take a shower. Allen just sat on the bench on the other side of the room and tried not to blush. Lavi began singing the stereotype song and Allen couldn't help but giggle. "-_and we should dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, to these stereotypes_!"

"You've been on YouTube too much Lavi!" Allen yelled to be heard over the running water.

"Yeah? So? Want me to start singing Justin Bieber next? I'll do it, don't make me!"

"Oh, please! You would never-"

"_You know you love me. I know you care. Just shout whenever, and I'll be there. You are my love, you are my heart. And we will never, ever, ever be apart. Are we an item? Girl quit playin'. We're just friends, what are you saying? Take another look right in my eyes. My first love broke my heart for the first time and now we're like, baby, baby, baby, ohh. And I'm like baby, baby, baby, noo. I'm like, baby, baby, baby, ohh. I thought you'd always be mine, mine._"

Even though Lavi was singing a song from America's most hated seventeen year old, he actually sounded really good. "See? Toldja I would!"

"Just hurry up with your shower already!"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh." When Lavi finished, he walked towards Allen wearing his pants, his shirt in his hand, and his towel draped over his shoulder. Allen couldn't help but watch as the water drops slowly made their way down his chest. "See something you like?" Lavi's joking tone made him blush a deep red.

"No, I was just... uh... can't you put your shirt on already?"

"No way!"

"Why?" Allen could sense a joke of some sort coming up.

"Because... _I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt. So sexy it hurts!_" Lavi started to swing his shirt around in circles.

Allen face palmed to try and hide his blush. "Hurry up and get dressed already!"

"Psh, fine, fine." Lavi slipped on his shirt then shook his head like a dog, sending water everywhere. After putting on his signature headband, he looked in the mirror and smiled in contentment. "There! Now I won't have the muffin larvae trying to eat my brain. I am safe once again!" Allen sighed at his friend's weirdness."Hey, Allen."

"What?"

"Have you ever seen what's in here?" Lavi asked pointing to a door behind Allen. The door had always been there, but Allen could not think of what was inside.

"No. Why?"

"Because I'm curious and I wanna know what's in here. Come on, let's go on an adventure!"

"Or, we could not," Allen said.

"Come on Beansprout, don't be such a party pooper!"

"My name is Allen!"

"Yeah, yeah. So are you coming or not? I'm going with or without you, so are you gonna tag along or what?"

Allen sighed in defeat. He knew that Lavi would be sad if he didn't take part. When Lavi realized his little buddy had agreed to go on his little 'adventure' with him, he grinned.

"Alright! It's adventure time! Pull out your imaginary swords!" Lavi mimed unsheathing a sword from a scabbard at his waist and marched towards the mystery door.

Allen laid his hand on the knob. "Alright, I'll open the door on three and you look inside and see if the coast is clear." Lavi nodded his agreement. "Alright. One, two, three." Allen slowly turned the knob and creaked the door open. Lavi peered inside, searching for any signs of life.

"It's clear," the red-head reported.

Allen opened the door and walked into what looked to be a storage room. There were towering shelves from one wall to the other. It looked as if there was sport's equipment everywhere.

"Dude! Check it out!" Lavi was holding up a Black Order High cheerleader's uniform.

"Where did you get that?" Allen asked.

"From that shelf over there. There's a whole bunch of 'em!" He gestured towards the far left side of the room. There were cheerleading pom-poms, uniforms, megaphones, and other such things.

"Why would the cheerleaders store their stuff in the boy's locker room?" Allen asked. Just as he finished his question, his eyes found another door on the left side of the room. Lavi followed his friend's gaze and saw the door.

"I wonder..." Lavi trailed off. He walked over to the door and creaked it open. He closed it quick and turned back to Allen. "It's the girl's locker room! We've hit the jackpot!" Allen immediately blushed.

"W-we have to get out of here Lavi! Let's go." He turned to leave, but Lavi stopped him.

"Are you serious? You want to leave?" When Allen nodded, Lavi sighed. "You are so no fun. I am gonna go check it out in there; you can stay in here if you'd rather." The red-head turned and slipped into the girl's locker room.

Allen groaned. He didn't want to be left behind, so he mustered up enough courage to walk through the door.

The girl's locker room wasn't much different then the boy's, except it smelled a lot nicer. Allen spotted Lavi by the showers. "Lavi! Come on, let's go. There's nothing interesting in here."

"Yeah, you're right. What a let down." He pouted as the duo walked back into the boy's locker room as the bell for lunch rang.

*.*.*.*

Ten minutes later, Allen and Lavi were sitting at the same table as Kanda, Lenalee, Road, and Tyki. Allen had just finished scarfing down two of his three cheese burgers, some fries, two pudding cups, a salad, and an apple. He was about to finish his third when Tyki spoke.

"Allen, could I talk to you for a moment? I would like to talk to you about your relationship with my sister." Everyone looked at Tyki. He was wearing a serious face.

Allen gulped. "Uh, sure."

The two males stood up and walked out of ear's reach of their friends.

"Okay Shortstack, very funny," Tyki growled.

"What? What's funny?"

"First you try and take my bunny away from me, when that doesn't work, you go for my sister. That is not acceptable."

"Hey! Road was the one who asked me out, not vise versa. Also, I have never tried to steal Lavi from you. I don't even like him in that way."

"Oh please, you are so full of it. I see the way you look at my Lavi. I don't care if Road asked you out, you still agreed. I can't do anything to you right now, but just you wait, Walker. You are so dead." Tyki stomped back to the table and Allen followed. The two reclaimed their seats.

"So, how'd it go? Did you give him your blessing big brother?" Lavi asked with a smile. Tyki was silent. "Okay, I guess not." The rest of lunch passed in silence.

The next class was Study Hall. It passed by fairly quickly, but Allen shared that class with Road and she never detached herself from him. Allen could see her shooting glares at Lavi. To his surprise, Lavi was glaring back.

After enduring that, Allen and Lavi went to Art class which they shared with Kanda. Again, the class flew by, but Kanda did end up threatening to kill Allen with a paintbrush, nothing new.

Sixth period was English with Lenalee. When the duo had walked into the classroom, Lavi noticed that Lenalee was reading Twilight. Grinning, he ran over to her and slammed her book onto the floor. "Twilight isn't literature!" he yelled in a British accent.

Allen face palmed. _No more Demyx Time for him... _Just as he was thinking this, Lavi began to skip around the classroom singing the Sitar Song. "_I__like my sitar, I like my sitar. I play the sitar, sitar, wherever I go. Oohh._" Other than that, English went by very quickly. Seventh period on the other hand was long and boring. Allen hated history. He watched the clock all period until it finally rang.

Allen walked towards his locker when he saw the poster. At first, he thought that he was seeing things. He stared at the poster. Convinced he was dreaming, he closed his eyes and pinched himself. When he opened his eyes, he was still staring at the poster. Tears flooded his vision and he ripped the poster off the wall and crumpling it into a ball, hoping no one had seen it. Unfortunately, when he looked down the hall, he saw more posters just like it taped to the walls.

"Oh my God!" a random voice exclaimed, staring at a poster.

"Is that thing real?" Another voice said in disgust. More and more voices were talking about the posters. It was only a few seconds until he was noticed.

"Hey, isn't that the kid on the posters?" someone said pointing to him.

"It's him!"

"That's so gross!" Allen booked it out of the halls and to the school's doors. Like he had done a few days before, he ran home and didn't stop until he had made it home.

Once in his room, he collapsed on his bed and started to cry. He was still clutching the paper wad in his hand. He carefully unfolded it to see a picture of himself. He was shirtless and his scaly, red left arm was exposed. Underneath the picture were the words horrible, hideous, freak, and monster in big red letters. Allen had spent the past two years hiding his arm from everyone, but now the entire school knew about it and they thought that he was a monster.

He stood up and walked to his desk. He slid open the first drawer and looked down to see Mana. Allen smiled sadly as tears fell down his cheeks. "I'm sorry Mana," he whispered as he reached for his knife. The metallic blade seemed to be mocking him.

The first cut stung. Allen gasped as the blade slid across his wrist. The second cut was deeper, but it didn't hurt as bad. The words played over and over in his head, each one making him cut himself once more. _Horrible._ Slice. _Hideous. _Slice. _Freak. _Slice. _Monster!_ Slice.

Allen stared down at his bleeding wrist. The crimson liquid was pouring out of the cuts quickly and Allen just watched in awe. His wrist was throbbing, but his mind was blank. The boy may not have been thinking anything, but he couldn't stop the tears from pouring out of his eyes.

**[Note from the Author: So how'd you guys like it? I worked really hard on it. Sorry to those of you who are Justin Bieber haters (I'm not a fan personally, but I'm not a hater either), but I thought it would be awesome to make Lavi sing in the shower and for some reason that song just came to mind. **

**The muffin battle and the locker room adventure is based on true events that I went through with the person I based Lavi off for this story. I hope everyone enjoyed! Thanks again Kishi for all your help (and distractions xD)!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori] **


	6. Chapter 6

**[Note from the Author: Hey friends!**

**So sorry for the delay, I got grounded x.x Hate it when that happens. Anywho, Onward!**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any kind of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

Chapter Six

Allen stared at his bleeding wrist. For some reason, the sight was comforting. Maybe it was because now he wasn't thinking about anything. His mind was blissfully blank. The only thing that Allen could comprehend was how beautiful the thick, crimson liquid looked. It was beginning to drip onto the hardwood floor, but he didn't notice, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared.

For some reason, Allen had the uncontrollable urge to play the piano. He couldn't explain why, but he _needed_ to play. The boy didn't care about cleaning his wrist or even attempt to hide his wounds because he knew that Cross would be out at this time, probably wracking up more debts for Allen to deal with. He descended the stairs and walking into his living room. The blood from his wrist was dripping everywhere as he was walking.

When he reached his gorgeous piano, he ran his left hand across the smooth, black surface. The cool touch felt good. It shined so much that Allen could see his own reflection. He turned his head from the sight of his tear streamed face with red, bloodshot eyes and a slight black right eye. Taking his position on the bench and cracking his knuckles, he began to play.

The teen was swept away by the nostalgic sound. He was playing the song that his adoptive father had taught him years ago. Mana's brother Neah had written it a long time ago and taught Mana. Allen had always felt safe and calm whenever he played the melody. To Allen, whenever he played the song, he could close his eyes and picture his younger self sitting beside Mana. His beloved father would be looking down at him with pride in his eyes as Allen was progressing with his piano skills.

With his eyes closed, he let the music sweep him away. Allen sang the lyrics and the sound of his voice filled the empty house. "_Soshite bouya wa nemuri ni tsuita. Ikizuku hai no naka no honoo. Hitotsu, futatsu to ukabu fukurami itoshii yokogao. Daichi ni taruru ikusen no yume, yume. Gin no hitomi no yuragu yori ni. Umare ochita kagayaku omae, ikouku no toshitsuki ga. Ikutsu inori wo tsuche e kaesshitemo. Watashi wa inori tsuzukeru. Douka konoko ni ai wo. Tsunaida te ni kisu wo._"

When Allen looked down to press the next key to continue the song, he noticed as a drop of blood splattered onto the key. He paused his playing, that's when he noticed that many of the pearl white keys had been smeared with his own blood. Seeing this sight, the young teen's mind snapped back into reality. He glanced at his right wrist; the blood flow had barely slowed, and was still flowing quickly. "Oh no!"

He sprung from his bench and bolted up the stairs into his bathroom. Wetting a washcloth and pressing it to his wounds, he couldn't help but yelp in pain. He applied as much pressure as he could trying to ignore the horrible pain that was begging him to stop.

To Allen's dismay, he could hear the doorbell ring downstairs. _I'll ignore it. _The doorbell rang again. Then again. Then once more. Allen could hear the front door open and someone stepping inside.

"Allen! Allen! Are you here?" Lavi called. _Dammit, I should have locked the door! _"Allen! I saw the posters! Are you alright?" That's when he heard Lavi gasp.

_He probably saw the piano... _The piano was in the middle of the living room and it's always the first thing someone noticed when they would walk in.

"Allen!" Lavi's voice sounded scared. He ran up the stairs. He turned his head to see Allen crouching on the bathroom floor clutching a blood soaked cloth to his wrist. "Oh God, Allen!"

"No! Stay away from me!" Allen yelled as Lavi dashed towards him. The red-head didn't listen and took Allen's wrist in his hands. "I said stay away!" Allen screamed, jerking his arm away.

"Shut up and let me see the damage!" Lavi's voice had taken on a frightening tone. Allen froze in fear and Lavi took that moment and seized Allen's arm, despite his struggle. The older teen's eye went wide when he removed the washrag to see six giant slashes across the boy's wrist. "Did... Did you do this?"

Allen was silent.

"Did you do this?" Lavi asked again. The white-haired boy remained silent and averted his gaze to the floor. Growling, Lavi took hold of Allen's chin and forced him to look at him. "DID YOU DO THIS?"

"SO WHAT IF I DID?" Allen screamed back. "So what? I'm just a monster! Who cares about what happens to me?"

"I care!" Lavi yelled.

"Why? How can you care about a monster like me?" Allen challenged.

"Because I can, God dammit! Now shut up and let me clean you up."

"No." Allen mumbled. He was starting to feel dizzy. He guessed it was from the blood loss. The stubborn boy tried to stand up, but quickly lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the bathtub, making him see stars.

"The hell you can," Lavi said as he reached over for Allen once again. The younger teen started to squirm out of Lavi's clutch. Finally, the red-head took hold of Allen's left arm and pulled him into a tight embrace. "Dammit Allen! Let me help you already!"

"No! Let me g-" his protests were silenced when Lavi pressed his lips against his. Allen could feel how warm Lavi's lips were compared to his own. When Lavi pulled away, Allen could see his friend looked desperate, his single eye pleading.

"Allen, let me help you. Please."

Dumbfounded, Allen merely nodded his head in agreement.

Lavi picked up his silent friend and set him on the bathroom counter. He dashed to the medicine cabinet on the other side of the bathroom and pulled out a big bottle of hydrogen peroxide, an emergency stitches kit, and some unopened bandages.

Turning back to Allen, he took the now dripping blood-soaked rag from him and dropped it into the sink. He rinsed it out best he could then wet it again and began to wipe the blood from Allen's wrist. After this, he put Allen's wrist over the sink and began to pour the hydrogen peroxide over the open wounds. Allen hissed in pain, but said nothing.

*.*.*.*

Twenty minutes later, Lavi was just finishing wrapping a clean bandage over Allen's now stitched wrist. He still hadn't said a single word since Lavi had kissed him. _Wait, am I dreaming? Did that really happen? Am I hallucinating? _

"There," Lavi said. He looked Allen in the eye and then wrapped the boy into another tight hug. Allen noticed that Lavi was shaking. "Why? Why would you do this? Why? Why? Why?" The red-head hugged him tighter and shook some more. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? When I saw you on the floor covered in all that blood, there was a split second where I thought you wouldn't be okay. I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my little brother."

_That's right. He sees me as a little brother. Nothing more. _

Allen tried to hug his shivering friend back, but he couldn't move his right arm and he didn't want to touch him with his left arm. "I-I'm sorry..."

"I know. I know." Just then the two heard the front door open.

"Brat! I have some new debts for you to pay off!" Cross bellowed as he stomped up the stairs. When he reached the top, he turned his head to see the two boys embracing, surrounded by medical equipment and blood smeared on the floor. "What happened?" Cross demanded.

"I-It happened again Master..." Allen trailed off.

Cross sighed and shook his head. "Why, boy? Why do you always insist on hurting yourself? First you tried to overdose, and now this?"

Lavi released his hold on Allen and looked at Cross in confusion. "What? Allen tried to overdose?"

Cross nodded somberly. "Not long after I took him in, the boy was really upset about losing his father. He tried to overdose on some medication and had to have his stomach pumped. The only way that I could keep him off suicide watch was to blame the overdose on myself. I said I made him take them thinking they were vitamins. The police decided that my intentions weren't really to harm the kid and he turned out alright, so I was given a warning. But if I so much as lay a hand on him and get caught, he gets shipped off to foster care and my sorry ass ends up in prison." Lavi gaped at Cross.

"It's true," Allen mumbled. He was remembering that time. He had been so close to dying. Had Cross not found him when he had, he would have been dead. "That's why I couldn't go outside when I was beaten up."

Cross walked over to Allen and gently took his now bandaged wrist into his hands. "How bad, kid?" he almost whispered.

"Six. They needed stitches."

"Jesus," Cross breathed. He examined Allen's wrist a little longer before lifting the teen and carrying him to his room like he was a little kid. Lavi followed close behind. Cross laid Allen down on his bed and covered him up. "I'll go get you something to drink. Stay here." Cross turned to leave, but stopped at the doorway and looked back at Allen. "Where's the blade?"

"On my desk."

Cross walked over to the teen's desk and picked up the small pocket knife. Wiping the blood off it with his sleeve, he then placed it in his pocket. "Is that the only one?"

Allen nodded and his master left the room. Lavi walked into his room and looked down at his friend. His expression was unreadable. That's when he spotted the crinkled paper lying beside Allen's bed. The red head's face morphed into his scary, murderous expression when he picked it up and unfolded it.

"Is this what set you off?" Lavi asked, his voice no more than a whisper.

"Y-yeah..." Allen replied. The boy's eyelids were getting heavy. "It's because of that. Now everyone knows that I'm a monster."

"You're not a monster, Allen. You are a human being with a red arm. It happens."

"No. The flier's right.. I am a monster." Allen's eyes were closed now and he was beginning to slip into dream world. "Everyone I get close to gets hurt in some way. Mana died, Master Cross has a record of child abuse. I know I keep hurting you too. You're the one I hate hurting most..." he trailed off. The boy was seconds from being asleep. That's when a warm hand was held against the back of head and felt something he hadn't felt since Mana was alive. He felt a pair of warm lips press against his forehead.

"You're not a monster, Allen. Not even close."

Lavi's whisper was the last thing that Allen heard before he finally passed out.

*.*.*.*

_Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, be- _"God damn, six? Are you crazy Allen?" Allen opened his eyes to see a blurry red head trying to reset his alarm clock.

"L-Lavi?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse.

"Hey, little buddy. Are you alright? You didn't stir at all last night. I was afraid you were dead for awhile." Lavi was smiling, but Allen could tell that it was forced.

"What are you talking about? Why are you here?" Allen pushed his covers aside. That's when he noticed that his right wrist was in a bandage with a few spots of blood. The memories of the day before flooded back into his mind and Allen felt as if he was going to be sick. "I... I thought that it was a dream..." he whispered, staring at his wrist.

"I wish it was, Beansprout."

Allen looked at Lavi's face and found an unmistakable amount of pain written all over it. _I've hurt him once again.. _Allen carefully stood up and wobbled over to Lavi. He pressed his forehead against his best friend's chest.

"I'm sorry for what I put you through, Lavi. You didn't deserve it. You have the right to never forgive me for hurting you the way I have." The younger teen was surprised when Lavi's arms wrapped tightly around his body and hugged him closer to himself.

"Don't talk like that. There's nothing to forgive. You're healthy and alive. That's all that matters to me." Lavi nuzzled his face into Allen's shoulder. "Don't ever try to leave me again." His pleading voice was cracking as if he was on the verge of tears.

Allen remained silent. His bedroom door opened and Cross walked in holding a big glass of what looked to be fruit punch. "Morning, brat. Normally, I'd kick your ass for being gay in my presence, but considering the situation, I'll let it slide this once." He handed Allen the juice then sat on the boy's bed. "So are you planning to go to school today? Lavi told me about the fliers that were put up around the school, so I wasn't sure if you wanted to go or not."

Allen backed away from Lavi and looked down at the floor. "I don't know..."

"Well make your decision quickly. It's already six thirty and it usually takes you about a half hour to get ready for the day." Cross said.

"I'll go."

"Are you sure?" Lavi asked. "You shouldn't push yourself." Allen shook his head and walked to his dresser.

"I'll be fine. I just need to not cause any attention to myself and I'll be fine." He looked through his drawers and pulled out his black Breaking Benjamin t-shirt. Carefully lifting his now bloody Apocalyptica t-shirt off his body, he put on the new shirt and smiled at Lavi and Cross. "Honestly, I'll be fine. Now can you two step out so I can get dressed?" Cross grunted and left. Lavi looked unconvinced, but he followed Cross out of the room anyway.

Now alone, Allen rummaged through his drawers once again and pulled his favorite grey jeans, socks, gloves, and boxers. After getting dressed, he put his dirty clothes in the hamper and sat on the floor by his bed and began to put on his favorite black converse. Tying his shoes, he could hear his master and best friend talking right outside his door.

"Look, as much as I hate to say it, the brat needs you. Is there any way you could stick around him for the next few days?" Cross asked.

"Of course. I wasn't planning on leaving his side anyway," Lavi replied.

"Good. Is it possible for you to stay over for a few nights also? I'd hate it if he tried this again while I was sleeping. I think it'd be best if you were with him every chance you got."

"Yeah. Gramps'll be fine with that."

"Alright. Now that that's settled, I'm going back to sleep. Take care of that kid, got it?"

"No problem."

Allen sighed. _Great. Now Cross has officially made Lavi my babysitter. I'm just burdening Lavi more and more... _He stood up and walked out of his room and met up with the red-head.

Lavi smiled at him. "Ready for breakfast, Shortstack?" Allen's stomach growled as if to reply. Lavi chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's go eat, shall we?"

The two teens raided the kitchen to find food that was to their liking. Lavi settled with a mini bag of cheetos and a glass of milk. Allen chomped down four toaster strudels, five eggo waffles, two bagels with cream cheese, three yogurts, two oranges, and a glass of fruit punch. By the time they were finished with their meal, it was time to walk to school. The duo walked to the front door and got dressed in their coats and scarves. Once bundled up, the friends began their trek to school. Once outside, they encountered Road.

"Allen~!" She ran towards her boyfriend and glomped him. They fell to the ground and Road kept clinging to him. "I saw the fliers! I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry that you had to go through that! I've been trying to figure out who did it, but I haven't found any leads yet. I'm still working on it though!" That's when she noticed that Lavi was standing there as well. "What are you doing here?" she asked, glaring.

"I happen to be walking with my best friend to school. Gotta issue with it?" Lavi asked, glaring back.

"Actually, I do. I don't like it when you hang around my boyfriend."

"Funny, I don't like you being around my little buddy." The two glared at each other for what seemed like minutes. Finally, the silence was broken by a pained Allen.

"Um, Road, will you get off me please?" Road jumped up.

"Sorry, sorry! I was just so excited to see you! I couldn't help but tackle you!" She grabbed his right wrist to yank him up. Sharp pain shot through Allen and he yelped. He yanked his arm back and cradled it gently. Road watch him, puzzled. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just sprained my wrist yesterday. It's nothing to be worried about." Allen lied expertly. Road fell for his lie.

"Oh no! You poor baby! I'm so sorry! Does it hurt really bad? Should I go get some ice or something?"

"No, no. You're fine Road. It's just a sprain."

Lavi helped Allen to his feet and the three began to walk towards school. Road grabbed Allen's left hand and squeezed it tightly. Allen could have sworn that Lavi was shooting dirty glances towards Road, but he wasn't completely sure.

"By the way Allen, is what was on the fliers real? Is your arm really like that?" Road asked, staring at the hand she was holding.

"Um..." Allen started, but before he could finish, Road ripped the left glove off his hand. His red, scaly hand with naturally black fingernails and a green cross embedded on it was now exposed. He quickly hid it behind his back, but it was too late, Road had already seen it. She was holding her hands to her face.

"Oh my God. It is real!" At first, Allen had thought that she was grossed out or scared, but she seemed to be more quizzical about it. "How on earth did your arm become like that?" she asked, reaching behind Allen to hold his ungloved hand.

"I was born with it," Allen mumbled. Road's touch felt warm on his uncovered hand.

Her fingers traced over the green cross and then she held up his hand so she could get a good look at his scaly fingers. After examining his hand, she gentle pushed up his coat sleeve to see more red flesh.

"Ahem. Pardon me, but we're going to be late to school if you keep this up," Lavi said in a bitter tone.

Road rolled her eyes, but released Allen's hand and gave him his glove back. "I don't think that your arm makes you a monster, dear." She said, looking at Allen dead in the eye. "I think it gives you character." She smiled and pressed her lips against Allen's.

This time, Allen didn't hesitate to kiss her back. He didn't know why, but even though Road was a little sadistic, she really was a nice girl. She hadn't judged him on his arm. Other than Cross or Lavi, she was the only person to do that. He had to show her gratitude in someway, and he decided that a kiss would be the best way. Even though the kiss was meant for her, he found that he hadn't minded it all that much. In fact, he enjoyed it.

"Let's move it you love birds!" Lavi yelled, sounding annoyed. The two broke apart and smiled at one another. "Let's go! Chop, chop!"

"I think someone's jealous that I have you all to myself, honey." Road said to Allen with an evil smirk on her lips.

Lavi made a sound of disgust and started walking faster. Road giggled, but Allen was confused. _Why would Lavi be jealous? _He thought to himself. The question continued to bother him until they reached the school.

Standing at the bottom of the steps of Black Order High, Allen's pulse began to quicken. He knew that once he stepped through those doors, he would be harassed by many people either wanting to see his arm for themselves, or believing the posters right away and would mock him. Either way, he was in for one hell of a day. Allen gulped.

"It's alright, honey. You'll be fine. I promise," Road said genty and squeezed his hand.

"I hate to say it, but I agree with your crazy girlfriend." Lavi said, scratching the back of his head. "If anyone even thinks about bothering you today, they'll have to deal with me. I'm already in a bad mood this morning so they'll probably get their faces rearranged."

Allen smiled to himself. He was thankful that he had such an understanding girlfriend and an amazing best friend. Maybe they were right. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about anyone picking on him today. He kept that thought in mind as he walked through the front doors. He honestly believed he could make it through the day.

Boy was he wrong.

**[Note from the Author: Hey! How'd you like it? Sorry it took me so long! I was grounded plus some personal issues came up so I was a little slow, but worry not, I will have quicker updates from now on! (unless I get grounded again x.x) **

**Hope you all liked it. Please, if it isn't too much trouble, please leave me a review if you could. Next chapter I will answer any questions that are asked. Thanks! You guys rock!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**


	7. Chapter 7

**[Note from the Author: Hello everyone! Thanks for sticking around for chapter seven! Woot, woot! *does happy dance* Honestly, I've never stuck to a story this long before. Even though my goal was ten chapters originally (I'm thinking fifteen now), I was half expecting to give up at chapter four. I have all you amazing readers out there to thank for it! So I decided to dedicate this A/N to you guys! (Also, sorry for the slow update, life happens.) **

**Thank you **Exile Wrath**, **kh07gl**, **OceanicCrownClown**, **violettruth**, **Tabi Caracu**, **wishingbell**, **Greystar13**, **Yaoi Fan Girl 14th**, **kishimoro**, **DramaQueen of the moon**, **skywright**, **DGrayManFanatic**, **kuraihanax3**, **xPandoraHeartx**, **The Lord And Master-Foamy**, **Shuiro**, **NerdGril196**, **xCastielsGrilx**, **MidnightAbyssx02**, **Stalker-San-Alchemist**, and **silviekins** for adding this little boring story to your favorite stories list. **

**Thank you **Chu545**, **OceanicCrownClown**, **OZ the magician**, **silverXshadow**, **Princess Merleen**, **wishingbell**, **Freya24**, **Yaoi Fan Girl 14th**, **kishimoro**, **DramaQueen of the moon**, **janrockiss**, **Dareagon**, **Massoinette**, **Nian-chan**, **sweetkakes35**, **LiquidConfidence**, **Kuraihanax3**, **icy-reality**, **Oragami Lotus**, **yaoi fangirl0707**, **Kohikari**, **Shuiro**, **Swiedish-fish**, **Treeweaver**, **NerdGirl196**, **xCastielsGirlx**, **bellacutie2**, **Death-Sama01**, **Stalker-San-Alchemist**, and **silviekins** for following my tale with story alerts. **

**Big thanks to **cassie**, **kh07gl**, **fangirl12232**, **OceanicCrownClown**, **Tabi Caracu**, **LavYoai**, **kishimoro**, **Jass991021**, **Princess Merleen**, **OZ the magician**, **Exile Wrath**, **DGrayManFanatic**, **sweetkakes35**, **yaoi fangirl0707**,** Shuiro**, **NerdGirl196**, **xCastielsGirlx**, and **MidnightAbyssx02 **for writing me reviews. I'd also like to personally thank **kh07gl** who has commented on everything I have uploaded thus far. I always look forward to your reviews ;D**

**Last but not least, thank you for just reading this. This story means a lot to me seeing as it's sort of based off what I've been through (and it features one of my most favoritist pairings ever! x3) and having other people read it and enjoy it really brings me joy. Even if you don't follow, favorite my story or leave me a review, it makes me happy to know that people are reading what I have to say. So thank you bunches and bunches and bunches! **

**My deepest apologies if I misspelled any names or left anyone out. **

**Anyway, onward with the story!**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This story is purely fanmade and I'm not making any kind of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori] **

Chapter Seven

The first thing that Allen noticed when he walked into Black Order High was the staring. It was as if he could feel every pair of eyes on him and it was very uncomfortable. He tried his best to ignore it, but the task seemed nearly impossible. Holding tightly to Road's hand, remembering Lavi was beside him, and taking a deep breath, he walked through the commons. The weight of the stares were making Allen very nervous. A reassuring hand pressed onto his shoulder. He looked up to see Lavi.

"Just ignore them," he whispered, gently squeezing Allen's shoulder.

"Easier said then done," Allen grumbled. The trio continued down the hall until they were at their usual spot in the corner of the commons, opposite from the big stairwell. Already there waiting for them was Lenalee, Kanda, and Tyki.

"Allen!" Lenalee screeched when the white haired boy entered her range of view. She ran to him and glomped him. _Why does everyone insist on tackling me? _Allen thought as Lenalee hugged him. "I saw those horrible pictures. Were they real?" Allen gulped. He hadn't wanted to tell Lenalee, but he didn't want to lie to her either. He silently nodded his head. "Oh my God." She whispered, her eyes darting to his left arm.

"Che. I always knew you were an alien or something, Beansprout." Kanda walked behind Lenalee and stared at his covered arm.

"Top of the morning to you too, Kanda" Allen said, a little annoyed.

Tyki walked up behind Kanda and Allen froze. Tyki was looking especially evil this morning, and that was saying something. Lavi left Allen's side to go stand by Tyki.

"What are you doing with him?" Tyki asked, his voice low.

"I walked with him to school this morning," Lavi replied. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes. Yes it is. We talked about this Lavi. It's like you've been ditching me for him lately, and it's really starting to upset me."

"I-I'm sorry Tyki. I'm not trying to ditch you I swear! It's just that something came up last night so I had to stay and help Allen-"

"So you even stayed over at his house?"

Lavi bit his lip. "Y-yeah..."

"Humph. Whatever. Enjoy your time with that stupid beansprout."

"Tyki-"

"Just leave me alone. We'll talk later." Tyki stomped past Allen and shot him a killer glare before he passed him.

Allen turned his head to see Lavi hanging his head unhappily. Allen reached out for him, but Road tugged him back.

"Leave him alone, honey," she whispered into his ear.

Allen shook his head "I can't leave him alone. He needs someone to cheer him up." He shook off Road and walked up to Lavi. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Lavi nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Jeez Lavi, why do you even go out with Tyki? He's so mean to you! He makes you so upset all the time and I don't think that it's nice at all." Lenalee said, hugging Lavi. He hugged her back and sighed.

"It's because I love him, Lena. When you love someone the way I love Tyki, you'd be willing to put up with his moody attitude to keep him by your side."

Hearing Lavi say this, Allen's heart felt like it had been stabbed with a rusty spoon. He clutched his chest as if the metaphorical spoon was twisting and turning, trying extra hard to pierce and shred Allen's heart. On top of that, the unnamed feeling was beginning to eat at his gut. That's when the bell rang. _Jeez, the bell's just rung and I already feel like crap. This is going to be a long day, I can tell. _

"Bye, Allen! I'll see you next period!" Road hugged her boyfriend and pressed their lips together. Once again, Allen didn't mind that much. Lavi literally pulled Allen back to separate the two.

"Let's move it, Shortstack. We don't want to be late."

Allen thought about commenting that Lavi almost never cared about being late, but the tone in his friend's voice made him hold his tongue. Instead, he waved his goodbye to Road and allowed himself to be dragged to calculus.

Once in the classroom, Allen paused in the doorway. He knew that something seemed different, but he couldn't exactly place what it was.

"What the hell?" Lavi asked.

Allen followed Lavi's gaze to see an empty space where Allen's desk used to be. The younger teen walked to the spot and looked around. His desk was no where in sight. Instead, there was a note on the floor. He picked it up and read:

WE DON'T WANT ANY MUTANTS IN OUR CLASS! GO BACK TO THE LAB WHERE YOU CAME FROM!

A lump formed in Allen's throat. _Don't cry. Don't cry. _He repeated to himself again and again.

Lavi read the note over Allen's shoulder and gritted his teeth. "Really guys? You all are going to be asses because Allen's a little different?"

"He's not a little different. He's a mutant!" a kid with short black hair and too much eyeliner said. Allen remembered that his name was Devit, another sibling of Tyki's.

"Yeah! He's a freak!" chimed a blonde. Allen knew that this was Devit's twin brother Jasdero.

"Ha, ha. Very funny you idiots. Where's his desk?" Lavi asked, obviously not amused.

"It's outside." Jasdero said, laughing. He pointed out the window.

Allen rushed to the window to see that his desk had been thrown outside. Thankfully, they weren't on the second story. Allen cracked open the window and slipped outside. He walked over to his desk and picked it up and made his way back to the classroom.

Unfortunately, Jasdero had closed the window and locked it. Looking inside, Allen saw that Lavi had engaged in a fight with Devit.

Devit threw a punch at Lavi and hit him in the gut. Lavi took the hit like a trooper and kicked Devit in the chest, sending the teenager back a few feet. That's when Jasdero jumped in to help his brother. He caught Lavi off guard and punched him in the jaw. Lavi stepped back and spit blood on the ground, his eye shining with rage.

"Dammit!" Allen yelled. He ran around the building to the front doors. He burst inside and sprinted down the hallways to the calculus room. When he reached the classroom, Jasdero was on the floor clutching his stomach and Lavi had Devit down on the ground with his foot on his head and was yelling at the rest of the class.

"Anyone else want to mess with Allen? Huh?" When there came no reply, Lavi smiled. "Didn't think so." He gave Devit one final kick then walked over to Allen. "Come on, let's go get your desk."

"Lavi, are you hurt anywhere?" Allen asked.

"Nah. I needed to vent some anyway. Don't worry about me. Let's just get your desk already, 'kay?"

Once Allen's desk was returned to it's spot and everyone (minus Jasdero and Devit) were in their seats, the teacher walked in.

"What on earth is going on? I heard the racket over from the office!"

"Lavi and Allen attacked us!" Jasdero cried dramatically. "They attacked Devit and me! We didn't even do anything!"

"Bull shit! You threw Allen's desk out of the window!" Lavi yelled.

"And that's a good reason to beat people up, Mr. Bookman?"

"Yes it is. They messed with my friend. I don't put up with that," Lavi said defiantly.

"Well then Mr. Bookman, you can march to the detention room right now. Go!"

Lavi cursed and stood up. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and stomped out of the room.

Once he was gone, Allen instantly felt bad. His friend was just kicked out of class for defending him. That's when Devit slipped into Lavi's usual desk and smiled at Allen.

"Hey there, freak." He said with a grin. "Looks like your protector won't be here to stop us from harassing you now."

"That's right," agreed Jasdero, who slid into the desk on the other side of Allen. "I'm glad he's gone. Now we can really play."

Allen gulped. He didn't want to be stuck in between these two all period. He'd rather be in detention. That's when he had an epiphany. The young teen stood up and flipped his desk over.

"Mr. Walker! Detention! Now!" The teacher screamed.

"With pleasure." Allen mumbled while gathering his things.

"Coward," Devit said under his breath, but Allen was still able to pick up what he said.

Before leaving the room, Allen tipped Jasdero out of his seat causing him to hit his head hard on the ground, and punched Devit in the face.

"DETENTION!"

"I'm going, I'm going." Allen walked out of the room and started towards the detention room. "At least this way I can hang out with Lavi," Allen whispered to himself, feeling his chest lighten a little.

Once in the detention room, Allen saw Lavi sitting alone in the big room. "Hey," he said, waving to his friend.

Lavi looked up. "Hey. You get thrown out too?"

"Yeah. I didn't want you to be alone."

Lavi smiled and gestured the seat next to him and Allen took it. They sat back in the theater chairs in comfortable silence. Allen closed his eyes and sighed in content. Sure, he was in detention. Sure, Cross was going to kick his ass later, but he was with Lavi now. That's all that mattered. It was so peaceful that Allen found himself growing sleepy. He allowed his eyes to close. _Maybe I can just rest for a few minutes. _

"Allen?"

"Hm?"

"How is your arm? Does it hurt at all?" Lavi's voice was full of concern.

"A little," Allen confided. "It'll be fine though. Thanks for asking."

"Of course."

The two went back to silence and Allen really did fall asleep.

*.*.*.*

_Riiiiiiiing_! The school bell awoke Allen with a start. He sat up quickly and looked around the room, trying to remember where he was.

"Mornin' sunshine" Lavi said, ruffling Allen's hair.

_ That's right, I'm in detention. _Allen stretched and yawned.

"Principal Millennium came in here while you were asleep. He said that we have ISS for today and all of next week because we fought those creeps."

"So, we stay in here all day?" Allen asked. He'd never had ISS before and was confused to how the whole in school suspension thing worked.

"Pretty much. The only times we can leave is to get our lunch, take our trays back to the cafeteria after eating, and to pee."

Allen groaned. "That doesn't sound fun at all!"

Lavi chuckled at his friend. "Maybe not, but it just means that we get to stay in here all day and not have to worry about bullies harassing you."

Allen paused mid-groan. Lavi was right. Maybe ISS would be good for him. Even though he would probably be bored out of his mind, he would be away from everyone. That's when the detention door opened and Road ran in.

"Allen~! I heard you had ISS and had to come see you~!" She sprinted to Allen's seat and leaped onto his lap. She began to hug his neck. "I am so, so, so, so, so, so sorry about what Jasdero and Devit did to you! They are such jerks!" She hugged him tight to her chest and Allen couldn't help but blush.

"Umm, Road? Can you, um, move, uh, please?"

She giggled at her boyfriend's shyness. She gave him one last squeeze before she let him go and planted herself in the seat on the other side of Allen.

"What are you doing here?" Lavi asked, sounding peeved.

"I came to enjoy ISS with Allen, of course" Road stated as if it was painfully obvious. "You didn't expect me to leave my poor boyfriend all alone in detention for a full day did you?"

"He has company," Lavi stated, pointing to himself.

"Yes, but not good company. For all I know you might rape him or something if I'm not here." Allen's face grew very warm and Lavi face palmed.

"Only you could think that, you crazy bitch," Lavi mumbled.

"You're right, I am crazy."

Lavi looked at Road in surprise, obviously not expecting his new enemy to agree with him.

"Crazy in love" Road grinned at the cheesy line and Lavi threw his head back and groaned loudly.

Allen remained silent. He wasn't so sure about this whole ISS thing now.

Road gripped onto Allen's left arm and smiled big at him. "So what are we gonna do to pass the time, Allen?" she asked.

"I, uh, I dunno really. I was thinking about reading the manga I brought with me." He reached down and unzipped his backpack and pulled out the first two volumes of _Pandora Hearts_. He handed the first volume to Road. "You can read it if you like. It's really good."

Road smiled, took the manga, and settled into a comfortable position in her chair to read.

Allen reached down once again and picked up the sixth volume of _Black Butler_ and handed it to Lavi. "Here, you've wanted to read this one, right?"

"Dude you rock!" Lavi exclaimed as he snatched the manga from Allen and flipped open to the first page.

Allen smiled at his friend's excitement and opened his own manga to read. The trio stayed quiet for a good half hour, indulging themselves with the beautiful art and amazing fantasies of their books.

Lavi was the first to finish. "Ugh, I hate cliffhangers!" he grumbled.

"Shh! I'm getting to the good part!" Road said angrily while focusing on the book before her.

Allen glanced over her shoulder and saw that she was at the part where Oz and Alice made their contract. He felt a nudge on his right arm and turned around to see Lavi holding a piece of paper out to him. Unfolding it, he stared at his friend's surprisingly neat script.

**How can you stand her?**

Allen sighed and pulled a pen out from his back pocket and scribbled a quick reply.

_Easily. She's not that bad you know. I don't understand what it is you don't like about her._

Allen handed the note back to Lavi and glanced back to what his girlfriend was reading. Lavi finished writing his reply and handed him the paper back.

**Dude, in case you haven't noticed, that chick is fucking bananas!**

_Maybe she is a little on the weird side, but so what? You are too and I hang out with you._

**But I don't cling to you constantly and make out with you every chance I get!**

_No, but she is my girlfriend. That kind of makes it okay. And actually, you do cling to me. Quite a bit, really. _

**Grr. Not the point!**

_Then what is your point, Lavi? I don't see why you are getting annoyed. _

**I don't see why you're NOT getting annoyed! She shows up all the time out of no where, and then she hangs off you and is always glaring at me. How does that NOT drive you crazy?**

_Last time I checked, you were glaring right back, Lavi. _

**Arg! Whose side are you on anyway?**

_Wait, when did this become about sides? I'm not on anyone's side; I just want everyone to get along! What is your problem with her?_

**Again, she's CRAZY! Plus, I don't like how she gets mad when I want to hang out with you!**

_Tyki's the same way towards me, but I haven't complained. _

**But Tyki is different.**

_How?_

**Because he is.**

_That makes no sense whatsoever! _

**Ugh! Nevermind!**

Before Allen could write a reply, he felt the paper being snatched away from him and looked to see Road holding it. She read over it quickly then pulled out her own pen and wrote a reply then handed it to Allen.

*It's because Lavi has separation issues and doesn't want to be away from you. If you ask me, it's almost as if he likes you.*

Just as Allen had read the final word, Lavi ripped the paper from his hands and crumpled it up before he placed it in his mouth and began to chew. It was a habit of his, he chewed on the papers that he didn't want anyone to see. He glared at Road until he finally swallowed the note, and of course, Road glared back.

_God let the lunch bell ring soon... _Allen silently prayed.

*.*.*.*

A little more than an hour later, the lunch bell finally rang. It was an agonizing wait, seeing as no one would talk, but the trio practically sprinted out the door towards the cafeteria.

When Allen reached the lunch room, everyone went quiet. The young teen shivered as the stares from his peers and upperclassmen were beginning to weigh down on his body. He tried to ignore the whispers that were filling the room. Walking to Jerry, he couldn't help but pick up, "I knew that kid was a monster. Just look at his hair and that scar!"

"Hello there, sweetie." Jerry smiled sympathetically as Allen approached his serving table. "What would you like to eat today?"

"Whatever you have," Allen mumbled. Jerry tried to cheer Allen up by giving him extra helpings of sweet potato fries and pudding cups, but Allen was too upset to notice. The young teen said his thanks and turned to walk back to the dark detention center.

While walking past a group of juniors, Allen felt a jolt as he tripped over something and fell into his tray of food. The entire cafeteria roared with laughter. Allen looked up and saw Devit grinning down at him.

"Oops. My bad" he said with a shrug.

Standing up, Allen sighed when he saw that his hoodie was now covered in food.

"Let's help the kid with the clean up!" Jasdero yelled as he shot up and ran to Allen, tugging his coat off him.

"No! Stop!" Allen cried as he struggled, but he couldn't stop Jasdero. His jacket was lifted off his body and his left arm was now exposed as well as his bandaged right wrist. The entire lunch room went quiet as they stared at the white haired boy. Allen was still, as if the eyes of everyone had frozen him, making him unable to move.

Waving Allen's jacket in the air and pointing at the poor boy's left arm, Jasdero burst into laughter. "Look at this freak!" There were a lot of gasps and whispers. Allen knew that everyone now saw him as a monster. He turned to leave, but as he was walking away, a glob of what looked to be nacho cheese splattered against his arm.

"Monster!" someone shouted.

Allen tried to find the source of the cheese attack, but when he turned around he was greeted by more food missiles. Chili hit him in the face, casserole in the chest, macaroni on the back, and there were even whole apples and pears that hit him in the head.

"Stop that! Quit!" Allen could barely make out Lenalee's pleas over all the shouts.

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

"Mutant!"

The words stung more then the spaghetti in his eye did. He wanted to run away, but his legs wouldn't budge. The young teen closed his eyes and took the blows, waiting for the nightmare to end.

"Allen!" Lavi's frantic voice rose above all the hateful shouts. Allen was surprised when he felt warm arms wrap around him as he was pressed to someone's chest. Almost instantly, the pain of the pelting food died. The white-haired boy looked up to see Lavi glaring at the entire room. He was covered in food as well, but not as much as Allen was.

"ARE YOU ALL FUCKING NUTS?" Lavi screamed. Many people looked away sheepishly, but most looked away uninterested.

Lavi turned his attention to Devit and Jasdero. "ARE YOU SATISFIED NOW?" Lavi barked and Allen winced against his friend's chest. Every time Lavi yelled, it scared him. It was so unlike Lavi to be angry or upset. Recently, it was like he was always upset.

_ It's all my fault... _

Snatching Allen's jacket back from Jasdero, he glared at Devit. "Why are you so cruel to him?" Lavi demanded, poison dripping from his words.

"Because he's a freak," Devit replied with a smirk.

Lavi made a move to attack Devit, but Allen clutched tightly to his chest. _Don't leave me,_he pleaded silently. Allen hid his face in Lavi's chest and tried to stop shaking.

"Come on, Allen. Let's go." Lavi whispered. Wrapping one arm around Allen's shoulders and draping his friend's soiled jacket over his shoulder, he still managed to keep the younger teen's deformed arm out of view. He allowed Allen to cling to him as they walked out of the cafeteria. At first, Allen had assumed that they were going back to the detention center, but Lavi led his friend in the opposite direction.

"Where are we going?" Allen asked, his voice hardly audible.

"To the locker room. We need showers. Plus, there's a washing machine and a drier in the storage room we found, we can use those to clean our clothes."

Allen nodded and the two continued down the hall in silence.

When the duo reached the locker room, Allen finally detached himself from Lavi. He turned to face his red headed friend. Lavi's face had an unreadable expression on it. _I've dragged him into even more trouble. I am the worst. Lavi is always there for me. He is so kind to me and takes care of me and is constantly watching out for me. What have I ever done for him? Nothing... _

His thoughts were interrupted when a t-shirt and some shorts were tossed into his hands. "Here, I always have some extra clothes. You can wear this till your clothes are washed so you don't have to wear your sweaty gym clothes."

Allen looked down at the green material. It was one of Lavi's favorite shirts. The words _I Come with My Own Background Music _was printed in big red letters.

"Thanks," Allen said, lifting his shirt off his head. Now shirtless, he couldn't help but steal a small glance at Lavi who was removing his own shirt. Allen saw his friend's tanned shoulders and strong back and almost blushed. He quickly turned his head and tried to forget about the amazing sight he just saw.

Once in their boxers, the boys retrieved their towels from their lockers and walked to the showers. Before stepping into the shower stalls, Lavi paused and turned to Allen. Ever so gently, Lavi took his younger friend's injured wrist into his hands and examined the bandages.

"We should probably replace these" he began unwrapping the old bandage. "Since we're in the locker room, there's probably a first aid kit with a bandage and some antibiotics somewhere."

Allen nodded and hissed in discomfort as the cool air hit his now exposed stitches.

"Don't get that wet, okay? I read that you shouldn't get the wound wet for a few days after getting stitches."

"Okay." With that, the two boys stepped into different stalls and began their showers. The hot, steaming water made the tension in Allen's shoulders slowly ebb away. He washed his hair with his left hand (It helped that he was ambidextrous) and then worked on getting all the food off his face. When he was clean, he was about to step out of the shower when he had an idea. He turned the tap all the way to cold and stood under the icy water. It was uncomfortable at first, but the cold water that ran over his body felt nice. He closed his eyes and indulged in the icy feeling until he heard Lavi's voice.

"You done yet, Shortstack?" Lavi asked.

"Just about," Allen replied, allowing the freezing water run over him a few more seconds before he turned off the water. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he shook his head as if he was a dog and water flew in all directions.

After getting dressed, the two boys took their food covered clothes and walked into the storage room and threw their clothes into the washing machine.

"Alright, let's go to coach's office and find a first aid kit," Lavi said after turning the washer on to normal wash.

Allen agreed and followed his friend. Once in the office, it didn't take Lavi all that long to find a first aid kit, walked back out to the locker area and begin working on Allen's arm.

"It's not infected, that's a good sign." Lavi began to smear a yellowish gel onto his cut. It stung a bit, but Allen didn't say anything. After making sure he did a thorough job of spreading the medicine on his wound, Lavi pulled out a new bandage and wrapped it up tightly.

"Thanks Lavi. You sure know a lot about this kind of stuff," Allen said, examining his friend's work.

"Anytime, buddy. Of course I know a lot about it, I spent most of last night researching."

Allen instantly felt bad. _Lavi's going through so much trouble for me. Why? _He almost asked, but that's when Road burst through the locker room doors.

"Allen? Allen? Are you in here, honey?"

"Jesus Christ, Road! This is the _guys' _locker room. Get the hell outta here!" Lavi yelled. Of course, Road ignored him and walked over to Allen and wrapped him up in a big hug.

"I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry that my brothers did that to you! They are so horrible! I kicked them both in the nuts before I came to find you, that's why it took so long. Are you alright?" She let go of Allen and backed up enough to stare at his face.

_ She is so pretty. How did I not notice her before we started to go out? _he thought absentmindedly. "I'm fine. Lavi has been helping me. Thank you for looking for me, though." This time, Allen was the one who did the kissing. He pressed his lips gently to Road's soft pink lips. It was a peck, but the gesture sent a small wave of electricity throughout his body.

When he backed up, Road was blushing. He smiled and said, "Thank you, but this really is the guys' locker room, so please leave. Also, you should go to your normal class. I'm sure you're very bored in detention. I promise to walk you home after school, okay?"

Road, still blushing, nodded. "Okay, Allen." She pecked Allen's lips with her own before she stood up and walked towards the exit. "I'll see you after school then, honey," she said with a wave.

"Until then," Allen said waving back.

Once Road was gone, Lavi huffed. Allen looked at his friend quizzically. Had the appearance of his girlfriend annoyed him? "What?" he asked.

Lavi crossed his arms. "Who the hell does that girl think she is? Since when does she think that she can just barge into the _men's_ locker room? I'm telling you, that chick is fucking bananas."

Allen sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I think we have already established that. I wish you two would just get along already."

"Sorry Beansprout, but I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Allen cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Huh? Why not?"

"Let's just say me and her don't see eye to eye."

"About what?" Now Allen was really confused.

"Nothing. I'll explain later, I think our clothes need to be switched" Lavi mumbled as he walked back to the storage room.

Allen groaned. _Great, now Lavi's keeping secrets from me. _An unwelcome feeling began to creep up on Allen as he realized something. _Maybe that's his way of getting back at me for being such a pain. Maybe their fighting over something and he doesn't want me to know because he no longer sees me as a friend, but as a kid he has to babysit. Lately, it has seemed like that. _Allen's stomach was twisting and turning by the time Lavi returned. When he saw Allen's expression, he sighed.

"Are you getting upset because I didn't tell you what we're fighting about?" he asked, watching Allen closely. Allen shook his head.

"No. I mean, maybe? I don't know. Sorry, I'm stressed right now, don't mind me."

Lavi scratched the back of his head and sat on the bench next to Allen. Without warning, he laid his head on the younger teen's lap.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Allen asked flustered.

"Sleeping. I'm tired. I was up all night and I wanna sleep. Do me a favor and shut up, will ya? Our clothes won't be done for about a half hour and lunch ends in fifteen minutes. Let me sleep that long, 'kay?" Lavi said.

Allen noticed how tired Lavi's voice sounded. "Okay. Sure. Sweet dreams."

"Thanks. 'Night." Almost instantly, the red-headed boy fell asleep.

Allen glanced at the clock and read that it was twelve thirty. Five minutes later, Lavi was gently snoring on Allen's lap. The white-haired boy couldn't help but smile. _I love watching him sleep._

Allen had read in many books that people liked to watch their friends sleep. He used to think that it was just some cliché that authors used to make their stories seem deep and meaningful, and Allen had always thought that watching someone sleep would be painfully boring. That was, until he witnessed Lavi sleeping. When Lavi slept, his chest rose and fell to the steady rhythm of his low snores and the sound was almost mesmerizing. His handsome face looked so peaceful and innocent as all other emotions have left it. The crimson red hair that he loved so much was in all directions, even when he was wearing his headband. He looked like a sexy devil in Allen's eyes.

Fifteen minutes came close to it's end much too soon. There was only two more minutes until the fourth period bell would surely wake Lavi. Allen decided to memorize Lavi's sleeping face one last time.

That's when Allen found himself staring at his friend's lips. _I wonder what Lavi's lips feel like... He kissed me once, but that was a brotherly kiss and I was too out of it to really remember what it felt like. _The young teen knew what he was about to do would probably bite him in the ass later, but he didn't care.

Before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned down and carefully pressed his lips against Lavi's. Unlike Road's kisses that made Allen feel giddy, Lavi's lips against his own made him feel downright ecstatic.

Quick as lightning, Allen pulled away from Lavi, his cheeks blushing furiously. He looked down at his still sleeping friend and sighed in relief. _Thank God he didn't wake up. _There was a minute left until the bell rang and Allen spent the time thinking about his newest discovery. That discovery being: he was now one hundred percent sure that he loved Lavi and wished he could call him his own.

**[Note from the Author: Hey! Thanks for reading! Again, I am so sorry for the slow update, like I said, life happens. I hope I made up for it with an extra long chapter! Also, don't expect an ultra fast update for chapter eight, I'm gonna be busy with life stuff. But in the next chapter Allen tries to sort out his feelings as the weekend and next school week quickly passes by into winter holidays. Plus, Lavi has a surprise for Allen ;D **

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**


	8. Chapter 8

**[Note from the author: Hey there everyone! Thanks for reading chapter eight! I was going to upload this two days ago, but, once again, I was grounded Dx. Also, my internet has been being a bitch lately, so that doesn't much help.**

**My past author notes have been waaay too long, so I'll make this one short and sweet for ya ;D  
>I don't own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape or form. This is purely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it. Same with the mentioned music, bands, and books.<br>Until Next Time!  
>~Kumori]<strong>

Chapter Eight

_Riiiiiing, riiiiiiiing_! The bell announcing the end of lunch period echoed loudly in the empty locker room. The sudden noise woke Lavi with a start, causing him to fall onto the floor.

"Mornin' sunshine," Allen said smiling, quoting his friend's words from earlier that day.

Lavi blinked in confusion, as if his brain was still asleep."Eh? Wha?" he asked, his beautiful hair was everywhere and his single emerald eye was fogged with sleep.  
>"Lunch is over. It's time to get up."<p>

Lavi's brain took a few seconds to process what his friend had said. Finally, he understood. "Oh. Right. Sorry, I shouldn't have fallen asleep on you."  
>Allen shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry you couldn't sleep longer than fifteen minutes."<br>"It's whatevs," Lavi replied. The red-head stood up and began to stretch. Once his back and neck made a painful sounding _pop_, he took Allen's left hand and dragged him towards the storage room.  
>"Wh-what are we going in there for?" Allen asked in a flustered manner. Lavi's hand was warm and it had a firm yet gentle grip on his right hand. It was enough to make the white-haired teen blush.<br>"Because if lunch is over, then that means that people will be here any minute to dress down for gym. We're supposed to be in ISS so we can't be seen."  
>"Oh, right." Allen had completely forgotten that he was at a school with other people. For the past twenty minutes or so, all that mattered to him was Lavi. He'd forgotten about the harassment he had been receiving from Tyki and his brothers, that the entire student body now saw him as a mutant, and even the fact that he has started to feel certain feelings bloom towards Road. All because he was alone with Lavi.<br>Just as the duo walked into the dark storage and shut the door, they heard the locker room door burst open and male voices boom throughout the once quiet room. Allen and Lavi waited a good five minutes before most of the voices died down. All except for three very familiar voices that had terrorized Allen in the past.  
>"Tyki! Why did you let Road kick us?" Jasdero whined.<br>"Because you two are idiots! You threw food at Bunny!" Tyki yelled.  
>"We were aiming for that short kid you hate so much. Sorry he got in the way," Devit replied.<p>

There was a loud _BAM_, and Allen pictured someone being shoved into a locker.  
>"You'd better be sorry, you ass! Lavi and I hardly get to see each other anymore because of that damn brat and whenever you hurt him Lavi just grows more attached!"<p>

Allen could have sworn he heard raspy breathing, but he couldn't be sure.  
>"F-fine! We'll leave Walker alone!" Devit cried, his voice was hoarse, probably from Tyki choking him, Allen thought. There was a moment of silence followed by a low thump accompanied with shallow breaths.<br>"Idiot, brother," Tyki commented. The sound of the door leading to the gym opening filled the silent locker room and then slammed.  
>"It's okay, Devit. Tyki's just mad that Lavi hasn't been around all that much," Jasdero said, trying to comfort his twin.<br>"I know. Come on, let's go to gym." The two twins left out of the locker room and it was silent once again. When the two friends were finally used to the silence, the buzz of the drier behind them spooked them both, causing them to jump.  
>"I'll go get our clothes," Allen offered, walking towards the drier. He opened the hatch and pulled out the warm garments. Once in the locker room, he handed Lavi his shirt and pants and started to put on his own clothes. After fastening his gray jeans, he looked at Lavi who had been silent too long. "Are you alright, Lavi?"<br>"No, not particularly," the red-head confessed. He raised his left hand and covered his single eye.  
>"Why? What's wrong?" Allen asked.<br>"I've been a horrible boyfriend, Beansprout."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"Tyki was right. I haven't been with him at all since last Saturday night." Lavi sighed and leaned against the wall and slid down slowly, until he was sitting on the floor. "God, I'm horrible."  
>Allen felt terrible. It wasn't like Lavi was ignoring Tyki or anything, he was with Allen most of the time because Allen was suffering one way or another. It wasn't Lavi's fault, he was just trying to be there for Allen. <em>Once again, I'm just burdening Lavi...<em>  
>"Well, I have a solution," Allen said.<p>

Lavi didn't move, just mumbled in a questioning tone.

"Get out your phone." Allen instructed, his chest clenched, knowing that his 'solution' was going to hurt him, but it would make Lavi feel better.  
>"Why?" Lavi asked, pulling his sleek black phone from his back pocket.<br>"Because. Now hand it to me." Lavi complied and held the device out to Allen. The white haired boy took it from Lavi and composed a new message to Tyki. Thankfully, he had been texting Lavi so much that he had memorized the way his friend would talk by heart.

**1:13 pm: hey. u n me shuld go out 2nite. wher u wanna go?**

He sent the message and handed the phone back to Lavi.

The red-head flipped his phone open and looked to see what his younger friend had done. When he received a reply from Tyki, he turned to Allen. "What did you tell Tyki?" he asked. "He just sent me a message saying 'sounds great, how about bowling?'. What did you tell him?" he asked again.  
>"I asked him on a date for you tonight."<br>"Why would you do that? I can't go! I promised Cross I wouldn't leave your side!" Lavi flung his arms, showing his exasperation.  
>"Oh please, I'll be fine for one night. I can take care of myself you know."<p>

Lavi narrowed his single green eye at Allen's bandaged wrist.

Allen rolled his eyes. "Okay, so I made a mistake. I'm allowed to make mistakes!"  
>"Allen, slicing your wrists bad enough to need stitches is not a mistake. That's a bad decision."<br>"Whatever! I'm allowed to make those too! Lavi, I swear to God if you don't go on a date with Tyki I won't let you read the next volume of Black Butler."  
>"Whaaat? Why would you do that to me Allen? I just got to the cliffhanger!" Allen smirked evilly and Lavi sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll tell Tyki I have to be home by eleven. Leave your front door unlocked tonight and I'll come back after bowling, 'kay?" Allen nodded and Lavi typed a quick reply to Tyki.<br>Allen noticed that he was still wearing Lavi's shirt and sighed. Although he loved his Breaking Benjamin shirt, this was Lavi's, it was special. He didn't want to take it off. He was about to lift the shirt off his head when Lavi took hold of his left arm and began to pull him out of the locker room.

"You can borrow that for now. We don't have time for that, we have to get back to ISS before we get caught." The duo ran out of the locker room, Allen being dragged behind Lavi, and sprinted across the commons, past the lockers, and through the hallway and burst through the door of the detention room.  
>The two friends collapsed into the nearest theater seats and huffed and puffed, working on regaining some precious oxygen into their lungs. "Do.. Do you think.. anyone.. saw us?" Allen panted.<br>"D... Dunno. Maybe." Once the two could finally breathe at a normal pace, they stood up and walked to their seats in the back of the room. "Well, we should probably finish our calculus homework."  
>"Yeah, I suppose."<p>

The two worked on homework for the rest of the day and before they knew it, the school day was over. When the final bell rang, Allen gathered his things, slipped on his hoodie and gloves, then folded his t-shirt then walked out of the room. Lavi packed as well then ran into the hallway, searching for Tyki. Allen walked out of school ignoring all the glares and whispers behind him, and stood by the front doors waiting for Road.  
>"Allen~!" Road squealed as she ran and threw her arms around him and nuzzling her face into his chest. "Thank you for walking me home! It means a lot to me."<p>

Allen smiled and ran his right hand through her hair in an affectionate way. "Anytime, Road. I'm sorry we couldn't be together all that much today. I'll make up for it though." With that he reached his hands down and cupped her face into his hands and kissed her softly. Their lips both slightly shivered at the contact. _Not as good as a kiss from Lavi, but it's still nice,_ Allen thought as he pulled away. Road's face was covered in a brilliant blush and Allen was sure that his was as well. "Let's get going, shall we?" he asked in his best gentleman voice and held out his arm to her.

"Of course," she replied, slipping her arm through Allen's. They walked across the frosty ground, chatting lightly.

"So, are we still going to Lavi's Christmas Bash next weekend?" she asked.

"If you want to go, I'll make sure I won't miss it."

Road made a girly squeal and wrapped Allen into a big hug. "You're so nice Allen. I am so glad we are going out." She said into his chest, he could feel the vibrations of her voice and it tickled slightly.

"I try. I am also glad that we're going out."

Road looked up at Allen and pressed her lips against his once again. This time, the kiss was different. Road had experimentally moved her lips against his, just slightly, and Allen did the same. This action made Allen shiver, but not in a bad way. This was a pleasant shiver. Road had also felt something because Allen could feel her hands shaking ever so slightly against his chest. The couple wrapped their arms around each other, their lips moving in complete sync.

"What the hell is going on here?" The two broke, panting, and glanced behind them seeing Tyki standing there hand in hand with Lavi. Tyki looked pissed. Not just pissed, but _super _pissed. Allen guessed that if Lavi hadn't been standing there at that moment, Tyki would have kicked the crap out of him by now. Speaking of Lavi, he stood there, taking in his surroundings. He looked at the ground, the sky, the trees, everywhere. Except at Allen, that is.

"What? We're just kissing. You kiss Lavi all the time, why should you care?" Road's voice was annoyed. Her words made Allen's fluttery chest die down. He didn't like to think about Lavi kissing Tyki. Heck, he didn't like thinking of Lavi kissing anyone!

"We're eighteen. You two are only fifteen. There's a difference." Tyki said, glaring at Allen.

"You were kissing girls by the time you were twelve! Then boys by fourteen! Daddy said so!" Road stood with her hands on her hips, a feisty fire ablaze in her eyes. _Man she looks good when she's like that_, Allen couldn't help but think as he watched his girlfriend in awe. He had never seen anyone except for Principle Millennium stand up to Tyki.

"That's not the point! I don't like seeing my baby sister kissing _that_!" Tyki yelled, pointing at Allen, his voice emphasizing that he indeed thought of Allen as 'that', not a person. This didn't bother Allen in the least. He was used to being seen as nothing.

"Tyki, don't be so mean to my beansprout," Lavi said, glaring at Tyki.

Tyki huffed and rolled his eyes. "I still don't see how you can like that little squirt, Bunny."

Lavi glared even more fiercely at his boyfriend's words. "He's like a little brother to me. You think I like seeing my little bro kissing girls? I don't! But I don't go insulting Road because I don't agree with it."

Tyki thought about this. "I guess that's true. I'm sorry Bunny." He leaned over and pecked Lavi on the cheek. It took all of Allen's self control to not ball his hands into fists and glare at the older teen for touching Lavi in such a lovingly way.

"Just don't take out your anger on him like that, he doesn't deserve it."

Tyki nodded, but Allen knew that he didn't mean it. The two older boys walked passed Road and Allen, Tyki sneering at Allen as they walked close enough that their shoulders almost touched.

Once they were out of sight down the next street, Allen turned back to Road.

"I am so, so, so, so sorry about that." Road apologized. Allen smiled at her.

"Don't worry about it. I guess that makes up for Lavi interrupting us all the time."

Road giggled and the two walked the rest of the way to Road's house, also known as the lair of the people who hated Allen most. The two parted at her front step with a small kiss, then Allen waved goodbye as he started to his own house.

When he reached the house, he noticed right away that it was empty. Usually this meant that Cross was out racking up more debts for Allen to pay. The young teen sighed and walked up the stairs to his room. He went into his closet and pulled out a nice outfit that had been ironed to perfection and laid it out on his bed as he began to undress.

Once he had put on his nice clothes, he looked into the mirror of his bathroom and smiled. He was wearing a gray long sleeved button up shirt tucked into a pair of nice black slacks, and a black vest on top. He picked up the golden pocket watch with a big cross on its front that he had set on his bathroom counter. The watch had belonged to Mana, and he took extra special care of it. He placed the watch into the outer pocket of his vest. Allen gave himself a final look in the mirror and nodded his head approvingly.

Allen took his house key out of his backpack and placed it in his back pocket, and walked out of the house. It had been awhile since he had done anything to earn money, and now was as good a time as any to change that fact.

*.*.*.*

Allen sat in a smoky room that reeked of alcohol - oh how he hated the stuff - and stared blankly at a group of men who sat at his table. Most of them were sweating like mad, but there were two of them who actually kept a good poker face.

"Call," one of the men said. Everyone laid their cards out and Allen glanced at everyone's hand. Most of the men didn't have a good hand. One guy had a one pair, but the man who called had a four of a kind. "Beat that you little brat," he sneered.

"Well, well, it would seem that you do have a good hand. Unfortunately, I happen to have a better hand." He fanned his cards onto the table and grinned his signature black grin that only ever came out when he was playing poker. "Straight flush. My, it seems I have won again."

The man slammed his hand on the table, causing a few of the others to jump. "I call bull shit! There is no way you could win again! You have to be cheating somehow!"

Allen shook his head, still grinning. "Now, now, let's calm down, shall we?" Allen spoke as if he was talking to a young child, and this just pissed off the man even more.

"No! I want my money back!" He yelled, pounding his hand against the table again.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, you made a bet and lost, this means that the money is no longer yours. Now, if you can win it back from me, you can have it, how does that sound?"

The man grumbled before he took his seat once again. The cards were dealt out and everyone played in silence. Before long, someone called.

"I win you little bastard! Straight flush!"

Allen smiled. "Oh? Well, I supposed normally you would win. Too bad that I happen to have a royal straight flush, huh?" he laid out his cards and chuckled darkly. "I do believe I win again, boys."

The men all groaned and Allen scooped up his chips and placed them into his bag. "That was fun. I'll be back soon. Maybe you can beat me next time?"

As Allen stood up to go turn in his chips, he heard strings of curse words thrown at him, but he couldn't care any less. Tonight's winnings were definitely worth a few guys hating him.

After turning in his chips, Allen walked home in the dark counting his money. _Three hundred ninety seven, three hundred ninety eight, three hundred ninety nine, four hundred. That makes two thousand four hundred. _Allen smiled to himself as he stuffed the money into his pocket. It wasn't much, nowhere near the amount he needed, but it was a start. He enjoyed the feeling of making the money on his own, even though he knew that in just a few short days he would be back to having nothing, it was a nice feeling while it lasted. _I'll probably go back sometime this weekend. _Allen was still in his giddy mood when he walked into his house.

Again, the house was empty. Allen sighed. _Great, Master's probably going to come home drunk out of his mind. Perfect. _Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was ten. _Lavi will be back soon. I should probably go shower and change my clothes. _With that, the white haired teen walked up the stairs to his bathroom and got in the shower.

Twenty minutes later, Allen was wearing his Linkin Park t-shirt and his black boxers. He was ready for bed, but he decided that he wanted to wait up for Lavi. He looked around to find something to occupy himself until his friend returned, and that's when his eyes fell onto his sleek black piano.

Running his hand along the top, he smiled at the familiar feel. Looking at the keys, he saw that they had been cleaned of his blood from the last time that he played it. Taking a seat, he cracked his knuckles and began to play some scales.

Once he was warmed up, he began to play the special melody that he was taught years ago. His voice filled the empty house as he sang the lyrics. "_Soshite bouya wa nemuri ni tsuita. Ikizuku hai no naka no hono o. Hitotsu, futatsu to ukabu fukurami itoshii yokogao. Daichi ni taruru ikusen no yume, yume. Gin no hitomi no yuragu yori ni. Umare ochita kagayaku omae, ikouku no toshitsuki ga. Ikutsu inori wo tsuche e kaesshitemo. Watashi wa inori tsuzukeru. Douka konoko ni ai wo. Tsunaida te ni kisu wo._"

"What a beautiful song."

Allen jumped and swiveled his head, seeing Lavi standing behind him. "Lavi! You scared me!" Allen said angrily.

Lavi held his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I was only silent because I heard you playing. Wow, I knew you were good, but I didn't know that you were that good!" He sat down next to Allen on the piano bench and grinned. "That was an amazing song. Is it called 'Kiss for the Joined Hands'?" Allen gaped at Lavi.

"You know Japanese?" Lavi smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I also know Chinese, Korean, Italian, French, Spanish, and I'm currently working on learning German." When Allen gaped at Lavi, he chuckled. "What do you expect? My grandfather is the great Bookman, of course I've picked up on some stuff."

"Yeah, I should have figured that out sooner." Allen said with a smile.

"Hey, will you play again? That really was amazing, I enjoyed hearing it."

Allen looked over to his friend. "Um, I suppose..." Allen allowed his fingers to dance along the keys once again, the sound of each key blending together to make a beautiful sound. He began to sing once again, and Lavi watched, mesmerized by the music.

The two boys were swept away by the melody. The notes that harmonized together made shivers go down their spines; the words that they both could understand made their hearts heavy with their beauty.

When Allen was through playing, Lavi begged him to play one last time. The white haired boy agreed and played the tune a final time, this time, Lavi sang with him. With Lavi's voice harmonizing with his, the song sounded even better. The English translation of the lyrics played through his head as he sang in Japanese. _So the boy falls asleep. The flame inside the breathing ashes. One, then two. The floating swelling, the dear profile. Thousands of dreams, dreams, that pour onto the earth. On the_ _night when the silver eyes swing. The shining you, who was born. Millions of years. No matter how many Millions of years. return the prayers to Earth. I continue praying. Love for the last. Kiss for the joined hands._

Allen put his hands by his side, his fingers were sore, but he didn't care. He looked to his right and smiled at Lavi. "How was that?" he asked his red-headed friend.

"Very nice. It really is a beautiful song. Where did you learn it?"

"Mana taught me when I was younger. Since we were traveling performers, we thought it would be good if I learned how to play piano. Mana taught me and I learned very quickly. Once I could play well, I started to put on small shows, a small eight year old boy who would sing while playing the piano. I never thought anything special of it, but Mana said when I played the piano I looked like an angel." Allen felt a tug at his chest at the mention of his father, but he refused to let himself cry.

"He was right ya'know. You do look like an angel when you play. Your face becomes so peaceful, and your voice is amazing. Mana was right."

Allen blushed slightly at his friend's words.

"Is that why you like music so much, Allen? Does it make you feel closer to Mana when you hear music?"

Allen looked at his friend and gave him a small smile. "When did you turn into a psychiatrist?" he asked.

Lavi scratched the back of his head. "I was just curious. It's just that you always seem so attached to music. I've always wondered why."

Allen closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander; thinking of how to put his complicated feelings into words that could be understood by someone else. "I think it is because I feel close to Mana when I play, but I also think it's something more. When I hear music, I marvel it's beauty. When I make the music myself, it just fills me up with so much joy, I can hardly explain it." Allen felt his face go red when he realized that he was rambling. "Uh, never mind, that probably makes no sense at all whatsoever." The younger teen began to feel flustered. He began to scramble off the piano bench when he felt Lavi's hand press on to his shoulder.

"No, that makes perfect sense. You see the beauty in the music, but when you are the one making the music you feel accomplished because you made something so marvelous. Am I right?" Allen nodded, thankful that his friend really did understand. He had tried explaining his thoughts to Cross once, but the angry master told him to quit rambling and threw an empty whiskey bottle at him, hardly missing his face. Shaking the memory from his mind, Allen stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"We should probably go to bed now. You don't mind, do you?" Allen asked.

"Nope. I'm tired anyway."

"Good, then that's settled." When the duo walked into Allen's room, Allen instantly glanced at his floor, trying to figure out where the warmest place would be to sleep.

"No, you are not sleeping on the floor," Lavi said as if he could read his friend's mind. Allen tried to complain, but Lavi placed his hand over the younger teen's mouth, effectively shutting him up. "Look, if it makes you that uncomfortable to sleep by me, I'll sleep downstairs on the couch, 'kay?" Allen shook his head furiously, trying to get Lavi's hand off his face.

"It's not that. It's just that I don't want Master to get the wrong idea again..."

Lavi sighed and shook his head. "Ya'know, beansprout, you really do worry over the dumbest shit."

"My name is Allen." The younger teen gave up trying to fight his friend and laid on the inside of the bed, pressing his back against the wall, trying to make as much room for Lavi as possible. The said red-head had lifted his shirt off his head and was now unbuttoning his jeans. Allen hid his face in the covers, trying to hide his blush. Lavi slid in beside him and covered up with the extra blanket and turning his back to the younger teen.

"'Night Allen."

"Goodnight Lavi."

The red-head was asleep in moments. Allen on the other hand, was wide awake and trying to calm his speeding heart. _Why am I getting so embarrassed? He's just sleeping in my bed, why is that so bad? _He suddenly thought of Road and felt bad. _No! I shouldn't be thinking these things about Lavi! I have to think about Road! I am dating Road, not Lavi! Lavi is dating Tyki, not me! Ugh! _He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. That didn't work, so he tried again.

And again.

Then once more.

Finally, after twenty nine deep breaths, the young white-haired teen slipped off into the world of sleep.

*.*.*.*

The weekend passed quickly. Lavi stayed around Allen as often as he possibly could. Allen had to literally kick his friend out for a few hours so that he could be with his boyfriend, and him his girlfriend. After spending more time with both Road and Lavi, Allen found that he was becoming more and more confused about his own feelings. If he loved Lavi, why did he feel the way he did about Road? If he liked Road, why was he convinced that he loved Lavi? The subject was always in the back of his mind. By the time he returned to school, his brain had been fried due to stress.

There was only two days of school that week, and then it would be Winter Break. On Monday, Allen noticed that Lavi was being secretive around him. Even though they had ISS with each other, Lavi would spend the entire day texting.

When Allen tried to ask who he was talking to, Lavi would just scratch the back of his head and replied, "Eh? Ah, no one really."

Allen had stared to get suspicious quickly. He tried glancing over Lavi's shoulders to take a peek, but Lavi would playfully shove him away and grin.

"No, no, Allen," he would say as if he was talking to a three year old, "it's not polite to read over people's shoulders. Don't you know that?"

Allen would groan and try to occupy himself by reading _The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd: Tenth Grade Bleeds_. The book was interesting, but he would much rather know what Lavi was up to.

By the time school let out on Tuesday, Allen felt as if he was going to explode. Lavi's secret had pushed him past the point of curious and wondering, now he _needed _to know to keep his sanity. He tried once again to wriggle the truth from his friend while going to their lockers, but to no avail.

"Lavi, come here a second!" The boys turned their head to see Lenalee waving down Lavi from the end of the hall. Lavi turned to Allen and smiled.

"You stay here, 'kay? I'll just be a sec." Lavi bounded off towards the Asian girl.

Allen had to bite his tongue to suppress an angry screech. His angry thoughts towards his friends were pushed from his mind when he noticed a group of girls giggling and pointing at him. He looked at the floor in embarrassment. The big poster fiasco still hadn't died down. People still stared and whispered, he even had been slammed into some lockers while Lavi wasn't around. He sighed and wished that everyone could just forget the picture, that everyone would go back to only knowing him as 'Lavi's friend'. That would be so much easier.

Allen jumped in surprise when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked to see Lavi, his face showing concern for his younger friend.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Let's just go home, alright?"

Lavi nodded and the two walked out of the school to Allen's house. Allen noticed as he was walking that he had told Lavi 'let's go home' as if Lavi had lived with him. Sure, he had spent the past few days at Allen's house, but the white-haired boy hadn't realized how accustomed he had become to Lavi staying with him until just then.

The rest of the day went by with Allen trying to get Lavi to tell him the big secret, and Lavi just shaking his head and chuckling at Allen's pouts when he would reply, "Patience, young padawan."

The next two days were torture, Lavi just wouldn't give. Now it was Friday, December twenty third and Allen still needed to do Christmas shopping. He decided that he wouldn't bother Lavi anymore (even though his now his curiosity had grown to unimaginable levels) and would ask his red-headed friend to accompany him to the mall.

When Allen proposed that the they spent the day shopping, Lavi jumped at the chance. "Yes! That would be perfect! I still have to get Lena something anyway!" With that, the two friends rode in Lavi's old pick up to the mall.

Once inside, Allen and Lavi decided to split up. Allen would start in Hot Topic and Pac Sun while Lavi scouted out Game Stop and Old Navy.

Ten minutes later, Allen stood in Pac Sun trying to deicide if Lenalee would rather a pink belt with studs, or a purple belt with black hearts on it. He shrugged and put them both into his basket, after all, it was a buy one get half off on the clearance side of the store. Allen smiled at his ninja shopping skills as he made his way to pay for his finds.

After paying for Lenalee's gift, he walked out of Pac Sun and made his way into Hot Topic. Allen always loved Hot Topic. It was one of his favorite stores. He glanced at the newest t-shirts and smiled when he saw an assortment of Kingdom Hearts shirts. Making his way over to the girls' clothing, he saw the perfect gift for Road. It was a black t-shirt with assorted red knives that stretched horizontally across the front of the shirt. In the time that Allen had gotten to know Road, he knew that she was into dark things and loved to play with knives. Right away, he took it off the rack and placed it over his arm, now looking for something for Kanda.

It was hard, but Allen eventually settled on a black wallet chain and a studded wristband for Kanda. Next on Allen's small list was Cross, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to find anything for him in Hot Topic. He paid for his gifts and walked out of the store. Glancing around the mall, he realized that he wouldn't be able to get him anything here. He decided that he would pay some guy to get him a couple bottles of Jack Daniels later. Now he had a present for everyone on his list but Lavi. _What would Lavi want? _Allen asked himself silently.

The young teen walked along the mall, window shopping for anything that just screamed Lavi. He sighed and was about to give up when he saw the perfect gift. It was a small, black hammer on a thick chain. He walked into the store and bought it immediately. Allen smiled to himself as he walked out of the store. The small hammer clutched in his gloved hand. The boy looked at it closer, trying to see more of it's details.

The hammer was more like a mallet on a thin rod with a cross on the top. The mallet part had two gray stripes on either side and a red symbol on each of it's faces. It really was an interesting trinket. Allen hoped to God that Lavi would enjoy his present. Pocketing the necklace, he began to wonder just where his red-headed friend had gone off to.

At the thought of his best friend, Allen's eyes caught a familiar blur of red in Game Stop. He walked towards the video game store and was greeted by Lavi rocking out to Guitar Hero.

"Hell yeah!" he yells, obviously very absorbed into his solo.

"Um, Lavi?" Allen asked, trying to get his attention.

"Not now Beansprout. I'm kicking mega ass here. Lemme finish this song, 'kay?"

For the next minute or so, Allen watched as his friend racked up the highest score for Du Hast on Expert.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Lavi yells happily.

Allen rolled his eyes and dragged Lavi out of the store before he decided that he wanted to start another song. The two friends clutched on to their bags and walked out to Lavi's car.

"Did you finish your shopping, Lavi?" Allen asked as he opened the passenger side door and climbed into the vehicle.

"Yup! I got everyone something awesome!" Lavi slid behind the wheel and was about to start the engine, but his phone went off in his pocket as he slid the key into the ignition and This is My Ringtone by Parry Gripp played loudly. "_This is my ringtone! It's on my iPhone! No you don't have one! You have Verizon!-_" Lavi flipped open his phone and read over what Allen figured was a text message. He sent a quick reply and looked at Allen, beaming.

_Oh God, something is up,_ Allen thought.

"In celebration of our shopping achievement, we are gonna go see a movie!"

"Huh? I thought we were going home right after to wrap up the presents?" Allen asked.

Lavi shook his head. "Not yet! I've been wanting to see Breaking Dawn!"

Allen narrowed his eyes at Lavi suspiciously. "What? Since when have you wanted to see Breaking Dawn? I thought you hated the Twilight movies?"

Lavi shrugged. "Change of heart I guess. Now let's go!" he said as he turned the key and drove off to the cinema.

*.*.*.*

Two and a half hours later, the two emerged from the dark theater, clutching to the remains of their popcorn as they ran to Lavi's car, trying to see through the falling snow.

"Okay, that was so not worth the twelve fifty we spent each for tickets," Allen mumbled when he was in the car.

"Psh, tell me about it! So much drama!" Lavi exclaimed.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to see it!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Lavi said as he pulls his phone from his pocket and dials someone's number. "Hey," he said into the phone. He listened for a moment and groaned. "Seriously? Still? Come on! It has to be ready by now!"

Someone was yelling in the background and Allen could hear, but he couldn't make out any words.

Lavi sighed. "Alright. I'll see what I can do." He hung up the phone and sighed.

"Who was that?" Allen asked confused.

"Eh? No one. Not important. Don't worry about it. Say, how about some ice cream? I could totally go for a DQ blizzard about now."

"Lavi! Who was on the phone?" Allen almost yelled. He was starting to get fed up with Lavi's secrets. If Lavi was really his friend, he would have told him who was on the phone. Right?

"I already told you, it was no one. It was just Gramps nagging at me for not doing any reading while I've been at your house."

"That makes no sense! You asked about something being ready, what were you talking about?"

"It's nothing! God, you're nosy. Now shut up and let's go get a blizzard, alright?"

Allen huffed and crossed his arms. He stared out the window, refusing to look at Lavi. The red-head sighed and drove down to Dairy Queen.

*.*.*.*

Allen ordered a cookie dough blizzard and Lavi a mint oreo one. They ate their ice cream in silence since Allen was still refusing to talk to Lavi.

Lavi continuously glanced at his phone and Allen was starting to get even more peeved then he already was. He scarfed down the rest of his ice cream and stomped out the door, starting a long, cold trek home.

"Allen!"

Allen ignored Lavi's voice and continued to walk. _If he can't trust me enough to tell me who he's talking to, then how can he expect me to want to be around him? _The young teen thought as he hugged himself to keep warm.

The cold wind blew across Allen's face and the snow was beginning to sting. The road was dark and the wind was getting even stronger. Allen's feet were soaked from the snow and he was shivering like crazy, but he didn't care. He wasn't in the mood to be with Lavi. He would meet up with him when he got home and would speak his mind then.

The walk wasn't too long, only about fifteen minutes. When he was about half way there, he reached into is pocket to warm his hand and felt something cool brush against his fingers. He carefully pulled out the hammer necklace that Allen had bought for Lavi. His chest ached at the sight of the trinket. He didn't want to be mad at Lavi, but how could he not? The red-head was keeping secrets from him. Allen knew that secrets could be deadly. After all, it was secrets that had been the fall of Mana. Allen shivered at the thought. _No, no. I will not think about that right now. Not until I get home. _

Allen slid the necklace back into his pocket as he walked up his driveway. Lavi's truck was parked there, meaning the red-head was inside. _I'm going to make that stupid rabbit tell me who the hell he was talking to! _He slid his key into the lock, unlocked the door, and opened it slowly. _I'll make him spill whether he wants to or_-

As soon as Allen opened the door, he was greeted by loud cheers. He looked around to see there were streamers taped to the beams of his ceiling, balloons covered the floor and others floated to the top of the room, their strings dangling from them, and there were even colorful lamps in all different directions. There were Christmas lights everywhere and there was even a cake.

"Wha..?"

Lavi stepped out from the small crowd and gave him a small smile. "Surprise. Happy Birthday, Allen."

**[Note from author: Hey! Holy Crap! 22 Pages! My chapters are getting longer and longer I've realized... **

**Guess what? ITS WINTER BREAK! WOOT WOOT! Guess what that means? MORE CHAPTERS! Haha, I am so excited. I've been brainstorming about how to continue this and I have come up with some amazing ideas, and now I will actually have time to type them up! Yes! Success! Next chapter is when Allen's surprise birthday party will really begin. Sorry for stopping so soon, but I intend to have an entire chapter dedicated to his birthday, as well as Lavi's upcoming Christmas Bash. So stay tuned for the drama I have planned! *grins widely* **

**When I was explaining why Allen loves music so much, I hope it made sense. I am an ex musician myself (I didn't have the money to continue lessons when I moved states and there was no orchestra available at school) and that was how I felt about music. If it makes no sense, I'm sorry, but that was the best way I could explain it. x.x**

**Thanks for reading everyone! If you wouldn't mind, could you pretty please leave me a review? It would mean so much to me. Speaking of reviews, **xCastielsGirlx**, I have to say I LOVED your review. You always know you have a good review when the first line is "**_I WANT THIS CHAPTER'S MAN BABIES!_**". It made me laugh out loud in the middle of my Global Studies class, making my teacher and a bunch of students stare at me funny. Haha, thanks so much. Anyway, I'll quit my ramblings now 'cause I know y'all probably are sick of 'em xD**

**Thanks again! I'll update really soon! By the way, sorry if my poker scene really sucked. I've only ever played the game twice and both times I was cheated against so I'm not too good with it xD**

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**


	9. Chapter 9

**[Note from the Author: Hello friends! Thanks for reading Chapter Nine. I've spent a lot of time (and precious space in my notebooks xD) planning out this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! I've noticed that my descriptions have really been lacking, so I've been trying to work on it. Leave me a review and tell me if I'm doing any better if you wouldn't mind. I kinda can't know if I'm doing it right if no one tells me, ya'know?**

**I was going to have Chapter Eight uploaded a few days ago and Chapter Nine uploaded earlier today, but I was grounded and then my internet has decided to be a bitch to me lately. So yeah, small setbacks, but, alas, I am here for you my dear readers! The evils of groundation and shitty internet will not stop me from uploading for you! *strikes heroic pose*  
>As always, I do not own -Man in any way, shape or form. This story is purely fanmade and I am not making any kind of profit off it. The same goes for the songs and bands that will be featured.<br>Happy readings!  
>~Kumori]<strong> 

Chapter Nine

Allen looked at the scene before him wide eyed. His friends and other people he vaguely knew were standing in his living room all cheering for him. He turned back as Lavi, shock still on his face. "I.. uh.."  
>"Allen~!" The white-haired teen was suddenly tackled by a blur of purple and green. He instantly recognized Road's voice and smiled at her. She was currently wearing a green tank top and a purple and black fluffy tutu. Her stockings were striped and they were also green and purple. To add to her outfit, she had ribbons weaved into her black hair. She looked like the most adorable thing Allen had ever seen.<br>"Hey Road. What's with the party?" Allen asked, gesturing around the heavily decorated living room.  
>"Its for your birthday, silly," she replied, pecking him on the cheek.<br>"It was Lavi's idea."

Allen turned his attention to Lenalee. She was wearing a teal dress that reached just above her knees and a black jacket that hugged her body, complimenting her curves. Her hair was in her usual pigtails, but they were curled, giving them extra volume. "Lavi said that we haven't thrown you a decent birthday party since we've met you, so he planned all this out."  
>"Oh please, I just drew out the main plan. You're the one who brought everything together, Lena," Lavi said, scratching the back of his head.<p>

Lenalee grinned and kissed Lavi on the cheek. "Don't be so modest, Lavi. You did everything; I just approved the plans and set up the decorations."  
>"Yuu made the cake!" Lavi yelled.<p>

Kanda grumbled at his name and looked away annoyed. Even Kanda had dressed up for the occasion. His usual baggy jeans and t-shirt were replaced by a pair of black skinny jeans and a dark blue tank top, topped with a gray hoodie. He looked very nice Allen thought.  
>"Shut up you stupid rabbit. It's not that hard to make a cake. Of course, maybe it would be difficult for someone of your intelligence level," Kanda said, glaring at Lavi.<p>

The red-head rolled his eyes and smiled. "Whatever you say, Yuu. In the end, you still made Allen his birthday cake. You really do care!"

Kanda scoffed and turned his head again, and Allen couldn't help but smile.  
>Allen realized that Lavi had changed his clothes since he had last seen him at Dairy Queen. He was no longer wearing his Black Order High hoodie with blue jeans. He had changed into a black V-neck shirt with sleeves that stopped just after his elbows, and he was wearing white pants. Even his signature scaly green headband was replaced with a black sash, and his messy fiery hair looked like it had seen a comb in the past ten minutes. All in all, he was a sex god.<p>

At least, Allen thought so.  
>"Happy birthday, Beansprout."<p>

Allen's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar low voice. Tyki had approached the small group and slinked his arm around Lavi's waist. Tyki was wearing a pair of black slacks, white button up shirt, and a black jacket on top. To add to the sophisticated look, he was even wearing a top hat with a purple butterfly stitched onto the rim.  
>"Th-Thank you, Tyki." Allen said.<p>

Tyki looked a little out of place, but he seemed to be in a good mood, more or less.  
>"Yay! Everyone is getting along!" Lavi exclaimed. He turned around to face the rest of the guests and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Let the party begin!" The room erupted into cheers and hollers, followed by Nightcore's <em>Dam Dadi Do<em> pounding loudly from speakers that were probably set up while he was away.  
>"Who are all these people?" Allen asked, yelling to be heard over the loud music.<br>"They're classmates. Howard Link from English, Johnny Gill and Miranda Lotto from Chemistry, Araystar Krory from Study Hall. Plus, some of Lenalee's friends and Kanda's pals. Don't worry, there aren't any bullies of that's what you're worried about."

Allen nodded. He was still overwhelmed by the fact that he was at a party. A party for him even. It was all too much.  
>"Why are you crying Allen?" Road asked, gently wiping Allen's cheeks where a few stray tears had escaped from his eyes. He gently shook his head and held Road's hands to his cheeks.<br>"I'm just so happy. I don't know what to say." He smiled at Road and she kissed him lovingly.  
>"You don't need to say anything. Just enjoy the party."<br>"I will." The two parted enough to hold hands and walked into the living room. The normally bright living room was now dim and only lit by a mass abundance of Christmas lights and small lamps with circular heads with multicolored panels that revolved around, causing beams of blues, reds, purples, and greens to spin around the room.  
>On top of his precious piano, there was an assortment of food set on a large red table cloth. In the corner of the living room, there was a karaoke machine set up to his small television with a make-shift stage mounting them. There was a game of truth or dare supervised by Lavi on the floor where the coffee table once was. Allen couldn't help but notice many of the party-goers were holding beers. He hated alcohol, but it was a party, so he didn't comment.<br>"Allen! Come play truth or dare!" Lavi was waving his hands around like a maniac. The white-haired teen shook his head, but he felt his hand being tugged towards the game.  
>"Come on, Allen. It's not a party until you play truth or dare," Road said, dragging Allen to the ever growing circle on the floor.<br>"B-But Road!"  
>"Shh. Just have fun."<p>

Allen sighed in defeat and allowed his girlfriend to take him to the game. Sitting down next to Lavi and Road, Allen watched as Lavi was playing _eeny meeny miney mo_ to see who he should pick on.

His finger landed on Lenalee. "Lena! Truth or dare?"

Lenalee thought about her options. "Hmm, I'll pick truth," she said.  
>"Awesome! Here's my question: Do you like Yuu?" Lavi asked bluntly.<p>

Lenalee blushed slightly, but smiled. "Of course I like myself, Lavi."

Lavi shook his head. "No, you know what I mean. Do you like Kanda?"

Lenalee's cheeks grew a slightly darker shade of pink. "Well, ah, um, yes."

Lavi laughed and turned to Kanda who was in the kitchen. "Ya hear that, Yuu? There's actually a girl who likes ya!" he hollered loudly and Lenalee's face flushed even more.  
>"Shut up, you stupid rabbit!" was the only reply before Lenalee continued the game.<br>"Um, Road, truth or dare?" Lenalee asked.  
>"Ooh! Dare me! Dare me!" Road exclaimed, bouncing up and down slightly.<br>"Hmm, I dare you to kiss Allen right here and now."

Allen's face grew warm at her request. He still wasn't exactly comfortable with his kissing skills yet and he certainly didn't want everyone to witness it themselves.  
>Road giggled and leaned against Allen, placing her hands on his chest. "That's not much of a dare Lenalee, but I'll accept it anyway." She leaned in and pressed her lips against Allen's. She moved her lips against his and he complied. Suddenly, she licked his bottom lip, asking for entrance. Allen slightly opened his mouth at the request, granting her entrance. At first, the feeling of her tongue against his own frightened him. It was wet and different, but he found that the scared and nervous feelings he had soon melted away into one of intrigue and, bliss? He couldn't explain the new feelings that were bubbling in his chest, but he found that they weren't exactly unpleasant, just foreign.<br>"Damn! Its getting hot in here!" the comment made Road blush and turn her head away, the light pink tint on her cheeks made her look even more adorable. The two looked into each other's eyes, panting.  
>"That... was nice." Allen said, smiling slightly.<br>"I agree," Road said before snuggling into Allen's chest. Allen wrapped his arms around her and held her against him, enjoying her warmth.  
>"It's your turn to pick someone Road!" Lenalee yelled over the music -now the song was Paralyzer by Finger Eleven- and Road smiled.<br>"Okay. Hmm... Lavi?"  
>"Eh?" Lavi asked, obviously not expecting to be picked.<br>"Truth or dare?" Road's tone sounded menacing.  
>"Psh, dare, obviously. I never turn down a dare."<p>

Road grinned at Lavi's reply and Allen couldn't help but feel a bit concerned for his red-headed friend. "I dare you to chug three beers as fast as you can."

Allen's jaw dropped. "Um, I don't think that's healthy..." he said.  
>"Bitch, please! Just three? I can do that!" Lavi jumped up and ran into the kitchen. He was out of sight for a few moments before he came back into view, holding a six pack of bud light in his hand. He leaped back into his seat and got comfortable before ripping three beers out of their flimsy plastic holders. "Ya ready for this?" he asked, grinning.<br>"Yeah!" the group yelled. Allen remained silent. He hated alcohol. He hated the horrible stuff with a passion. Ever since Cross had taken him in, he learned the evils of alcohol. It made people mean, sad, or just plain stupid, He had seen this in Cross and his many 'lady friends' when they returned from a late night at the bar. Although he hated alcohol, he -at least he thought he did- love Lavi. If Lavi wanted to drink, Allen would swallow his protests and let him.  
>Lavi opened the first can with a <em>h<em>_sss! _and put the can to his lips, throwing his head back and gulping the beer down as fast as he could. Once the first can was empty, he did the same with a second can, followed by a third. When he was done, he shook his head then held up his arms in a victorious gesture, causing a lot of _whoops_.  
>"How's that?" Lavi asked Road.<br>"Very well done," she replied, grinning. "Now it's your turn, Lavi."  
>"Hmm? Oh, right! Allen!"<p>

The white-haired boy jumped at the mention of his name.

"Truth or dare?"

Allen thought about his choices. He wanted to pick truth, but there were many, many things he wasn't comfortable sharing. Even though it was Lavi who would be asking him the question, he had just downed three beers, what if he asks something he normally wouldn't because of intoxication? Surely he was feeling something from having three cans of beer in less than five minutes. He didn't want to pick dare either, but he felt more comfortable doing something embarrassing rather than sharing something about his past.  
>"Dare," he replied simply.<br>"Ooh, getting confident after your little make out session, eh? Alright Beansprout. I dare you to sing karaoke, and your song has to be random."

Allen gulped. He hadn't sung in front of a crowd since he was little. He regretted singing with Lavi the other night suddenly. Maybe if he hadn't done that, he wouldn't have to sing right now. He'd rather have Lavi's dare. Okay, maybe not really, but he still didn't want to sing.  
>"I... um... well..." Allen stuttered.<br>"I wanna hear you sing!" Lenalee yelled. She jumped up and dragged Allen to the karaoke machine.  
>"Lenaleeee!" Allen whined.<br>"Shush, Allen. I'll pick your song for you. You like Apocalyptica, right?"  
>"Y-yeah." Allen watched as Lenalee silenced the current music –now <em>Inside the Fire <em>by Disturbed- and scrolled through the songs list to find a song for Allen to sing.  
>"Ah! Here we go!" she clicked a button on the remote and a song began to play. Allen instantly recognized the song; it was one of his favorites. Lenalee handed Allen the microphone as he noticed a group of people -including Lavi, Road, and Tyki- were beginning to form around him.<p>

"Good luck," whispered Lenalee as she ran off to join the group. Allen took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. _I can do this. I can do this..._ Taking a final breath, he began to sing.  
>"<em>I'm not strong enough to stay away. I can't run from you. I just run back to you. Like a moth I'm drawn into your flame. You say my name, but it's not the same. You look in my eyes, I'm stripped of my pride, and my soul surrenders. And you bring my heart to it's knees<em>." Allen's eyes drifted across the group of people. No one was really talking; most of them were paying attention to him.  
>"<em>It's killing me when you're away. I wanna leave and I wanna stay. I'm so confused, so hard to choose. Between the pleasure and the pain<em>." Allen's heart ached as he sang the words. The lyrics seemed to be pouring from his heart. He couldn't help but glance at Lavi as he continued to sing.  
>"<em>And I know its wrong, and I know its right. Even if I try to win the fight, my heart will overrule my mind. And I'm not strong enough to stay away<em>." As the chorus finished, Allen tried to avert his gaze from the red-head, but was unsuccessful.  
>"<em>I'm not strong enough to stay away. What can I do? I would die without you. In your presence my heart knows no shame. I'm not to blame. 'Cause you bring my heart to its knees<em>." Allen thought he saw Tyki glaring at him from the corner of his eye, but he wasn't sure, he just couldn't make himself look away from Lavi long enough to find out.  
>"<em>And its killing me when you're away. I wanna leave, and I wanna stay. I'm so confused, so hard to choose. Between the pleasure and the pain. I know it's wrong and I know it's right. Even if I try to win the fight, my heart will overrule my mind. And I'm not strong enough to stay away<em>." Allen closed his eyes at the end of the chorus, afraid he was being too obvious that he was staring at Lavi. He didn't care if Tyki knew, but if Road did, he didn't know what he would do.  
>"<em>There's nothing I can do. My heart is chained to you, and I can't get free. Look what this love's done to me<em>." Allen wanted to cry as the words left his lips. Miraculously, he was able to keep his voice steady and his tears behind his eyelids as he sang the painful chorus one final time.  
>"<em>And its killing me when you're away. I wanna leave and I wanna stay. I'm so confused, so hard to choose. Between the pleasure and the pain. I know its wrong, and I know its right. Even if I try to win the fight, my heart will overrule my mind. And I'm not strong enough to stay away<em>." The music slowly faded out and there was silence. Allen slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Lavi. His face was blank, expression unreadable. He turned to his left to say something to Tyki, and then they clasped hands and walked out of the group to the kitchen.  
>Suddenly, there was applause and Allen looked around and saw many people -both friends and strangers- clapping for him. He couldn't help but blush.<p>

"Allen! Oh my God Allen that was amazing~!" Road tackled Allen and buried her face into Allen's chest.  
>"Um, thanks," Allen responded. He was feeling upset since Lavi walked away. <em>Was I being too obvious? Did he reject my feelings? <em>He was brought out of his daze when he felt something press against his hand. Lavi stood before him and held out a red plastic cup to him.  
>"Hey, that was awesome buddy." His speech was slurred; Allen guessed that Lavi had more to drink while he was in the kitchen with Tyki. "You're probably really thirsty. I got you a drink."<p>

Allen cautiously took the cup, wondering what it contained. He carefully took a sip. It was Coke. _Thank God._  
>While Allen was drinking his Coke, Lavi continued to talk about Allen's performance. "It was awesome, man. It was like, so cool. Almost like you really were feeling the emotions the song talked about. You were so goood~!"<br>"Um, thanks." Allen didn't know how to deal with a drunken Lavi. He was currently leaning against the wall in a slumped position, his left shoulder on the wall. His eye patch looked like it was drooping slightly, he had lost his sash that kept his hair in place so it was all over, and his single green eye was bloodshot. He was clutching a bottle of Jack Daniels. Allen didn't know what to think. On one hand, God Lavi was so _sexy_. On the other, his best friend had given in to the evil of alcohol, knowing how much Allen despised it.

"Lavi! Your turn! Your turn!" The two friends turned to see Lenalee holding up the mic, yelling at everyone's favorite red-head.

Lavi grinned widely. "Sure, why not?" he yelled back and everyone erupted into cheers. Lavi picked up a red plastic cup and walked to Lenalee, taking the microphone from her.

"Here we go!" Lenalee called and everyone cheered again when the song began.

The music was familiar. As the introduction instrumentals played, he yelled out, "This one is for Allen!" Everyone hollered as he began the song. "_He was sitting at the bar, sippin' on a regular Coke._" Lavi glanced at the Coke that Allen was holding as he sang this and smiled. "_We were drinkin' and smokin' and makin' him the butt of our jokes. We all said, 'Man, what happened to you? Why can't you just have a few?'" _Lavi grinned at Allen as the song continued.

"_He said, 'I would if I could, but its probably best if I don't. 'Cause the more I drink, the more I drink. Then I'm the world's greatest lover and a dancing machine. I get loud, I get proud. And it gets worse.'_"

Allen rolled his eyes as Lavi was continued the song. _Why did he say the song was for me? Is he trying to make fun of me because I refuse to drink? _

"'_Well, if I have one, I'll have thirteen! Now there ain't no in between. 'Cause the more I drink, the more I drink.'_" Lavi had begun to dance, adding more flair to his performance. Everyone loved him.

"_A couple of cold ones and someone hands me a shot. Hell, even buck-toothed and bow legged women started looking hot. Pretty soon I'm bumming cigarettes,_" Lavi mimicked smoking a cigarette singing this. "_and sweet talking some big brunette._" Lavi wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and the girls watching squealed.

"_Oh, once I get on a roll, there ain't no telling where I'll stop! 'Cause the more I drink, the more I drink. Then I'm the world's greatest lover and a dancing machine. I get loud, I get proud. And it gets worse! Yeah, if I have one, I'll have thirteen. Now there ain't no in between. 'Cause the more I drink, the more I drink, the more I drink!" _During the instrumental part, Lavi managed to get everyone dancing and cheering. _He really is a party guy,_ Allen thought with a smile.

"_Man, if I have one, I'll have thirteen! Then they can't get me off the karaoke machine. The more I drink, the more I drink, the more I drink. Yeah, the more I drink, the more I drink, the more I drink!_" The crowd went crazy when the song ended.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" the chant filled the room and Lavi couldn't help but grin.

"Oh, so you guys want more?" When more screams and cheers answered his question, he nodded. "Alright! Another song, coming up!" Another familiar song began to play and Allen groaned. _Dear God, I can't watch this. _He wanted to walk away, but he found himself glued to his spot on the floor as he watched his drunken friend make a fool of himself.

"_Yeah! Yeah! When I walk on by, girls be looking like damn he fly. I pay to the beat, walking on the street with in my new lafreak. Yeah! This is how I roll, animal print, pants out control. It's Red Foo with the big ass afro. They like Bruce Lee rock at the club. Yeah! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! I work out. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! I work out! When I walk in the spot, yeah, this is what I see. Everybody stops and they staring at me. I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it. Show it. Show it. Show it._" At this point, Lavi stripped off his shirt and was happily flaunted his toned abdomen. Girls squealed and Allen blushed. 

"_I'm sexy and I know it. I'm sexy and I know it." _Lavi used his available hand to trace down his chest, making the girls squeal louder and Allen blush deeper. _Oh my God he is sexy!_

"_Yeah! When I'm at the mall, security just can't fight them off. And when I'm at the beach, I'm in a speedo trying to tan my cheeks. This is how I roll, come on ladies, it's time to go. We hit it to the bar, baby don't be nervous. No shoes, no shirt, and I still get serviced. Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! I work out. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! I work out! When I walk in the spot, yeah, this is what I see. Everybody stops and they staring at me." _

Allen prayed that this would be over soon, fearing that he would get a nosebleed. Unfortunately, to add to his torture, Lavi began to unbuckle his belt slowly and let it fall to the floor with a low _clank. _Then he began to tease the waistband of his pants. _I__ didn't know Lavi was a stripper! _

"_I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it. Show it. Show it. Show it. I'm sexy and I know it. I'm sexy and I know it. Check it out. Check it out._"

Allen had thought that it was hard enough to stand Lavi the way he was now. That's when he realized what came next in the song. Lavi unbuttoned his pants and undid the zipper, then began to shake his hips in a quick forward thrusting motion.

"_Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Yeah! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Yeah! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Yeah! Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wig. Yeah, yeah! Do the wiggle man. I do the wiggle man. Yeah. I'm sexy and I know it. Ey! Yeah!" _

Allen's jaw dropped and he slapped his hand to his nose, afraid he was going to begin bleeding at any moment if this continued. _This, this is one hell of a birthday... _

"_Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! I work out. Ooh. Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! Girl look at that body. Ooh! I work out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out._" Lavi grinned at his crowd and leaned down, touched his toes, then slowly rose from his position in a sultry fashion, his fingers running along his body, starting up his legs, then his chest, then resting at the base of his jaw line. "_I'm sexy and I know it!_" When the song ended, the living room became a riot. Girls were squealing and reaching for Lavi, and he just stood there, beaming like an idiot.

"Put your clothes on you stupid rabbit!" Kanda's loud voice could be heard over the loud squeals and Lavi nodded before he slipped back on his shirt –against his new fans' wishes- and the zipped his pants and slung his belt over his shoulder and turned to his fans one final time.

"Who enjoyed my fire worky moves of floppy passion?" The room erupted with more screams and Lavi just smiled as he walked away from the crowd to Allen. "So, did I give ya a good show, buddy~?"

Allen sighed and looked at the ground. "That will scar me for life, Lavi," He said, shaking his head.

"That's what I was going for!" Lavi slung his arm around Allen's shoulder, pulling him into a headlock. "Ya'know, we should, like, go play truth or dare again. It'll be fun! Let's go~!" Before Allen could protest, Lavi grabbed his wrist and began to tug on him. Unfortunately, Lavi had latched on to Allen's right wrist, which still had stitches.  
>"Ow! Lavi!"<p>

Lavi stopped and looked down to where he was holding. "Oh shit, I'm sorry Allen. I didn't mean to grab where you- mmph!"

Allen shoved his hand over his friend's mouth before he could finish. "Shut up! Don't say it out loud!" Allen whispered angrily into Lavi's ear. This caused Lavi to... smile?  
>"Hehe, you're right. I almost said something bad. Oops. Hey, let's go in your room for a minute."<br>"Why?"  
>"Because I said, that's why!" Lavi said, dragging Allen once again.<p>

Allen turned his head to see Road standing alone. He mouthed that he'd be right back to her and she nodded. The white-haired teen followed Lavi up the stairs into his bedroom.  
>Lavi closed the bedroom door behind him, and to Allen's surprise, he locked it. The younger teen couldn't help but be nervous. "Umm, Lavi?" Lavi bound over to Allen who was standing by his bed and pressed his finger against Allen's lips.<br>"Shut up a sec, 'kay? I've been wanting to talk to you. But I just like, didn't know how."  
>"Lavi, what are you talking about?"<br>"Ya'know something Allen? You've been acting really weird. Ever since you got beaten up, you've been different. It bugs me!"  
>"D-different? What do you mean?" Allen's cheeks grew warmer at Lavi's closeness.<br>"First, you don't tell me who beat you up. Why? You used to tell me everything! Then, you get a girlfriend without telling me! After that, you cut your wrists. Since when do you do that? I didn't know why you hurt yourself! Its just, there's so many secrets. You used to tell me everything! Why all the lies and secrets? Why Allen?" Lavi gripped Allen's shoulders tightly.

Allen tried to squirm under the clutch, but he just squeezed tighter. "Lavi! You're hurting me!"  
>"Why Allen? Do you not trust me?" His voice turned pleading. "Do you not trust me?"<br>"Of course I trust you Lavi. Why wouldn't I?"  
>"I dunno! You're the one who won't tell me things! It hurts me Allen! I know that you are hurting! You are! Something is eating you alive and you won't tell me!" Lavi released his grip on Allen and took a big swig of the Jack Daniels in his hand.<br>"Lavi, I do trust you. I just want to deal with this myself."

Lavi took another big swig before he replied. "Don't give me that bull shit."  
>"What?"<br>"I let you deal with it once! Look what happened!" Lavi set the bottle down on Allen's desk and took his right arm into his hands with so much force Allen winced.  
>"Let me go!" Allen tried to struggle against Lavi, but Lavi was stronger. He took Allen's sleeve and yanked it up, revealing the bandages beneath. The he unwrapped them so fast, Allen couldn't even think about stopping him. Now Allen's six, stitched gashes were in sight.<br>"Look at this! This is what happens when I let you deal with things yourself! Dammit Allen! Do you see this?"  
>"Yes I see it! I already told you, it was a mistake!"<br>"It could have killed you! You could have kept bleeding, and bleeding, and then you would have died! I could have lost you, dammit!" Without warning, he yanked Allen into a tight hug. Lavi was shaking, and that's when Allen realized he was crying.  
>"I could have lost my Allen. I could have lost you. All because I let you deal with it yourself. God, Allen..." he trailed off as he began to sob into Allen's shoulder.<br>"L-Lavi?" The older teen continued to sob and Allen didn't know what to do.

Finally, Lavi detached himself from the younger boy and sat on his bed, drying his tears. He leaned over to pick up his bottle of whiskey and took another swig.  
>"Allen. Tell me. Now. Who hurt you?"<br>"Lavi, you promised..."  
>"To hell with that promise! Whoever beat you up probably put up those fucking posters, right? Tell me who they are so I can kill them!"<br>"Lavi, no. I'm not telling."

Suddenly, thankfully, there was a knock on Allen's door. Allen turned and ran, unlocking the door and throwing it open. Tyki stood before him.  
>"Bunny, why are you with the Beansprout alone?" his voice sounded evil.<br>"We were just talking about some stuff, Tyki. That's all," Allen said.  
>"Sure," Tyki said, disbelief obvious in his voice. That's when the older teen's eyes looked down at Allen's exposed stitches. He smirked and looked up at Allen. "I didn't know you cut."<p>

Allen's eyes went wide as he tried to hide his arm, but it was too late. Tyki had saw.  
>"My Prince, don't tell 'bout Allen 'kay?"<br>"Of course." Tyki walked into Allen's room and took Lavi's hand and began to lead him downstairs. "We should go, Bunny. You are drunk. We can go to my house tonight."  
>"But... I have to stay with Allen. So he won't hurt himself." Lavi mumbled, his eye sagging slightly.<br>"It's okay, he'll be fine. Right, Allen?" Tyki turned and glared at Allen. His expression was one of pure hate. Allen knew that if he didn't agree, something bad would happen.  
>"Y-yeah. Go with Tyki tonight," Allen said, trying to smile.<br>"Ya sure?"  
>"Yes, go. I'll see you at your Christmas Bash tomorrow."<p>

Lavi smiled and nodded. "Okay. Goooodnight Allen~!" To Allen's surprise and Tyki's annoyance, Lavi blew Allen a kiss.  
>"Come on, Lavi. Let's go." With that, the two walked out of Allen's view.<p>

*.*.*.*

Two hours later, Allen was alone in his house once again. His living room was a disaster and he knew Master would kill him later, but he didn't care. His brain was too fried to actually care.

He walked up the stairs and collapsed onto his bed. He laid there for what seemed like forever. The young teen sighed. It was going to be impossible for him to go to sleep now. Not only would he see the extremely sexy Lavi every time he closed his eyes, but he also couldn't stop thinking about when his red-headed friend was crying on his shoulder. _I can't believe I actually made him cry. I made him cry! I am so horrible! I am the worst! I'm a monster! I am truly a monster! _Tears poured from his eyes as he finally drifted to an uneasy slumber.  
><strong>[Note from the author: Hello! How was it? I hope it was good enough! Thanks for reading!<br>Sorry for making Lavi drunk, but it was necessary (you'll find out why in the next chapter!). On the bright side, I didn't go cliché and make him confess while intoxicated, so I am proud of myself for that ^.^ I honestly thought about doing just that, but I really hate using clichés too much because then no one wants to read it because it's already been read, right? Does anyone agree with me or am I just crazy? Nah, I'm just crazy. =D  
>Next chapter will be very interesting, I promise. Lots and lots of drama. Allen finally takes action, only to be- Ahh nevermind, don't wanna give it away =P<strong>

**In case you didn't know, the song that Allen sang was **_**Not Strong Enough **_**by Apocalyptica, and Lavi sang **_**The More I Drink **_**by Blake Shelton and **_**Sexy and I Know It**_** by LMFAO. (By the way, I had only heard bits and pieces of **_**Sexy and I Know It **_**before this, but as I was typing the lyrics, I wanted to bash my head on the desk with how many times they say "Girl look at that body". HOW MANY FUCKING TIMES DOES A GIRL NEED TO LOOK AT THAT DAMN BODY? Sorry, just venting ;D)  
>Tune in for the upcoming Chapter Ten! TTFN! Ta ta for now!<strong>

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori] **


	10. Chapter 10

**[Note from the author: Hey friends! Thanks for reading! You guys are so awesome. Okay, I know that I promised that Chapter Ten would have lots of drama, but I'm afraid I didn't realize how much preparation it would take for me to write to lead up to the drama. On top of that, I have been adding in more descriptions so that also took up a bunch of space. So, all the big dramatic stuff is going to be in Chapter Eleven, but this chapter will still be entertaining, I promise! I'm sorry for disappointing you all! *bows apologetically* **

**Like always, I do not own -Man in any way, shape or form, and I am not making any profit off this fanmade story. The same goes for the bands and songs that will be featured. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001] **

Chapter Ten

Allen sighed as he rolled over in his bed and glanced at the digital alarm clock that resided on his bed side table. It was three in the morning. "Ugh!" He shoved his face into his pillow, hoping that he could forcibly make himself fall back asleep, but it was useless. He was awake now. The white-haired teen sat up in his bed and stretched. He had only gotten about a half hour's worth of sleep and he was groggy, but it couldn't be helped, his body wanted him awake.

He stood up and was about to walk out of his bedroom door when he noticed something. There was a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels on his desk. He picked up the bottle in his hands and examined it. He couldn't understand why people liked to drink. When people drank, they did stupid things that they would regret later. Experimentally, Allen gingerly raised the tip of the bottle to his lips and took a tiny sip- only to spit it out right away. His tongue burned and he tried scraping off the remains of the nasty stuff with his teeth. Another thing he didn't understand, alcohol didn't even taste good, and yet people still drank it. Why? He would never understand.

Replacing the bottle to its original spot on his desk, Allen turned and walked out of the room and descended down the stairs, ready to tackle the mess from his party. Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, he groaned. There were red plastic cups all over the floor, random wrappers from food sprawled everywhere, balloons –both popped and still full of air- covered just about every possible surface, and there were even articles of clothing that Allen was sure someone would be missing in the morning. With a sigh, the young teen walked into the kitchen and got a trash bag and began to clean.

About an hour later, Allen cleared the floor and furniture, taken the Christmas lights down and wrapped them up neatly, vacuumed the carpet and even shampooed parts that drinks had been spilled, and had just returned the glass coffee table to its place in the center of the living room. He wiped the sweat off his brow and smiled at his accomplishment. There was no sign that there was a party in the room a few hours ago. The shaggy carpet was once again pure white, his black leather couches were arranged in an L shape on the far side of the room with the coffee table in front of them, and without the Christmas lights the walls were gray once again. His piano stood proudly in the front of the room against the wall. The TV from the night before as well as the karaoke machine had been relocated to the garage. Allen's living room was once again simple and tranquil, just the way he liked it. Knowing his work was finished, he made his way upstairs to sleep.

Allen threw himself on top of his bed and glanced at his clock. It was four twenty three. Allen's brain had hardly processed the time before he slipped into unconsciousness.

"_I feel it everyday, it's all the same. It brings me down but I'm the one to blame. I've tried everything to get away. So here I go again, chasing you down again. Why do I do this? Over and over, over and over, I fall for you. Over and over, over and over, I try not to._" Lavi's ringtone broke the silence, causing Allen to wake up. He rubbed his eyes tiredly as the song by Three Days Grace continued to play. "_It feels like everyday stays the same. It's dragging me down but I can't pull away. So here I go again, chasing you down again. Why do I do this? Over and over, over and over, I fall for you. Over and over, over and over, I try not to_-" Allen yawned as he flipped open his phone, ignoring how much that song really got to him and mentally reminded himself to change it when he could.

"Hello?" Allen asked groggily.

"Allen? Hey. Sorry, did I, uh, wake you up?" Lavi asked. His voice sounded different then his usually goofy and joking manner, it almost sounded tense.

"No. Well, yeah, but that's okay, I needed to be awake anyway. Why did you call me? You never call me. You usually text me when you want to talk."

"Yeah, I know. I just, uh, really needed to talk to you. I can't use a text message to explain." Lavi's tone of voice made Allen nervous. _Something is really wrong with him. _

"That's alright. So, what do you need to talk about? You sound upset. Are you alright?" There was silence on the other end of the line, as if Lavi was trying to figure out what to say next. The only thing that kept Allen from thinking that he had been hung up on was Lavi's breathing.

"H..Honestly, I don't know if I'm alright. I'm really confused, actually." Lavi finally said.

"Confused? What about?" Allen was really beginning to worry about his red-headed friend now.

"I, um.. Well, I, uh.." Lavi stuttered.

"Lavi? What's the matter?" Allen was past worried now. He bolted up from his bed and was already across the room getting dressed so he could find Lavi by the time the older teen replied.

"I don't know how to really say this, but here goes: I lost my virginity to Tyki last night." Allen paused in the middle of pulling up his pants. He didn't know what to think. On one hand, he was enraged. Tyki had touched Lavi in that sort of way. He had taken Lavi as his own and had taken from him what he could never get back, ever. On the other hand, he was depressed. It proved that Lavi really did love Tyki and meant that he could never feel the way Allen felt about him towards the younger teen. In the midst of sorting out his mixed emotions, he realized that Lavi was waiting patiently for a reply.

"Oh. Um, congratulations." Allen said. He didn't want Lavi to know that this news had practically torn apart his insides. His heart had felt as if it had been ripped out of his chest and then thrown into a blender. He found that his breaths were shaky and pulled the phone away from his face and put it on speaker, hoping that Lavi hadn't caught it.

"Thanks, I guess. The thing is, I don't remember it. I don't remember all that much from last night. I remember watching you sing karaoke, and then the rest is a blur." Allen froze. _The last thing he remembers is me singing? Why? Why did he go and drink after my song? Was it because he just felt like it? No, I don't think so. He had looked peculiar after I finished. Something I did must have caused him to drink. _

"Oh. So you don't remember turning into a partial stripper?" Allen asked in a mocking tone, hoping to make his mind stop spinning so much.

"What? What are you talking about?" Lavi asked, Allen could tell that his friend was horrified by the sound of his voice.

"Never mind, I'll explain later. So you're confused about you and Tyki because you don't remember it?" Allen asked. Using Tyki's name made bile rise in his throat.

"Not just that. Tyki knew I was drunk off my ass. He also knew that I wanted to wait awhile longer because.." he trailed off and Allen couldn't help but be curious.

"Because what?"

"Because there were some things I had to sort out within myself before I would be ready to give my body to him. I explained this to him, but he didn't want to hear it. I don't know what to do, Allen. I mean, we have been dating for more than six months, it should have been time. But I can't help but be mad at him! I told him I wasn't ready! He waited until I was drunk and couldn't protest.." Lavi trailed off and Allen couldn't help but feel bad for his friend. He wished that he could be beside him and hug him and try to comfort him.

"I'm really sorry Lavi. I can't change what happened, but I'm sorry. Do you maybe want to hang out together today? We can get your mind off it."

"That would be great. You don't mind do you?"

"Of course not! Why would I not want to spend the day with my best friend?"

"Heh, I guess. Okay, let me take a shower and I'll be at your house in a bit, okay?"

"Alright. See you then.

"See ya." With that, the teen hung up. Allen sighed. He couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened. After all, he could have told Tyki that he needed Lavi to stay. He knew that if he had been honest and told Lavi that he didn't want him to leave, his red-headed friend would have stayed. Had he only let Lavi keep his word to Cross, this wouldn't have happened.

Allen sighed again and that's when he noticed that he was still holding his jeans halfway up his thighs. He yanked them up and fastened them. They were his black skinny jeans and he thought they fit him very nicely. He looked through his drawers for a shirt and decided on his white Avenged Sevenfold one. Fifteen minutes later, Lavi had let himself into Allen's house and walked up to his room, smiling as he entered the room. "Hey Lavi." Allen said.

"Hey Allen." Lavi jumped on Allen's bed and gave his friend a huge grin. "Merry Christmas Eve!" Lavi said, pulling a small package out of his hoodie pocket. Allen froze. Every year Lavi got him a present, and every year he couldn't help but feel hesitant when he took it, because he hated accepting gifts. He hated the thought that Lavi had spent his own money on him. It wasn't like he was ungrateful or anything, he just couldn't shake the feeling of guilt whenever he accepted Lavi's gifts. In fact, he felt that way towards anyone who got him a gift, but he felt extra guilty when it was Lavi.

"L..Lavi, you know I hate gifts.." Allen mumbled, studying the cracks and swirls of his hardwood floor.

The older teen sighed. "Ya'know something, Allen? You are the strangest fifteen year old EVER! I mean, seriously, you are the only fifteen year old I know who hates presents. Dude, who hates presents? Haters, that's who." Lavi grinned. "You don't want to be known as a hater, do you?"

"No.." Allen trailed off.

"Then quit being one and take the present already! I spent a long time searching for the perfect gift for you. Plus it cost me about two month's worth of paychecks."

"Ugh! Lavi! You're making me feel even worse! Stop!" Lavi rolled his eyes.

"Allen, seriously, I don't mind. I enjoy getting you stuff! I like to see your reaction when you open it. I mean, the reaction that says you like it, not the one that says, 'God Lavi, this is too much, return it!', that just makes me wanna beat you senseless." Allen refused to look at his friend and twiddled his thumbs.

"B..but Lavi.. You know how gifts make me feel.." Allen noticed that he had switched back to his native accent, but he didn't care.

"Aww, there's that adorable accent again! Hey! Quit trying to distract me with your cuteness! Take the friggin' present before I chuck it at your head, dammit." Lavi glared at Allen. The white-haired teen sighed and took the small package from Lavi's hands. It was wrapped in a floral wrapping paper. When he looked closer, Allen saw that the flowers were poinsettias. The red flowers looked pretty, the golden sparkles on the petals added to the beauty. The present was topped with a golden bow and a tag that read: _To my favorite little brother! Luv, Lavi_. Allen's heart swelled. _He thinks of me as his little brother. _Part of him felt honored, and even loved. Another part of him felt sad. _If Lavi thinks of me as his little brother, then that means that my feelings for him really are wrong. I guess I should think of him as a big brother. _The war in Allen's mind was brought to a halt when he saw Lavi staring at him expectantly. "Well, are ya gonna open it up or what?" Lavi asked.

"Um, no. I can't. It's not Christmas." Lavi chuckled.

"I know. That's you're Christmas Eve present. I have your Christmas and your birthday presents at home." Allen gaped at his friend.

"You got me THREE gifts? What is wrong with you? You know that I hate them, and yet you get me THREE? I should kick your ass Bookman!" Allen glared at Lavi and the red-head just laughed at his angry British outburst.

"Shut up and open it already, Walker." Allen sighed in defeat and carefully slid his finger under a flap of tape. Easing the sticky strip off the paper, he carefully unfolded the wrapping, hoping to preserve it. "Oi, why don't you just tear it?" Lavi asked.

"Because then I feel bad, alright?" Allen grumbled, still being very careful to open the present. When he was finally able to get the paper off without tearing it, he stared at the white box that had been concealed seconds before. He sighed as he slowly opened the top.

Inside the box was a golden sphere. He gently took it out of the box and looked at it closely. The sphere had the same cross on its front that the pocket watch that Mana had given him. Two wings and a tail were attached to the golden surface. There were even little horns on it's tiny head. To Allen's surprise, the wings began to move and the tail twitched. "Ahh!" Allen accidently dropped the ball, suddenly regretting it, knowing that Lavi would be very upset if he broke it already. He was poised to catch it, but that's when it's wings continued to flutter and it circled Allen, as if to examine him. "What is this?" Allen asked, his eyes not leaving the peculiar thing.

"It's a golem! They're pretty new. It's a robotic pet! He can record stuff and show it back, it's really cool. Isn't he adorable? I saw him in the store and was like, 'Allen would totally love that thing!', and so I got it for you. Hope you like him." Allen nodded as he continued to curiously watch his new golem. The little thing had obviously finished it's inspection of Allen and seemed to approve of him, because it flew over Allen and landed on top of his head. Allen could swear that he could hear purring coming from the tiny creature. The teen daintily lifted his right index finger and stroked the tiny golem. This caused more purring and Allen couldn't help but giggle.

"Lavi, I don't know what to say. He's perfect." Allen said in awe as he continued to love his new pet. Lavi beamed at Allen's words.

"I'm glad you think so! It looks like he's taken a liking to you. The store owner said that this little guy in particular was very picky about who got to touch him. The little bastard about bit my finger off when I bought him. Don't even get me started on our epic battle when it came time for him to be wrapped." Allen laughed. Suddenly, his mood plummeted.

"Lavi, you really shouldn't have gotten this for me. He is adorable and all, but he must have cost you a lot of money. On top of that, my present to you is nowhere near as good.." Allen let his hand down to his side and stared at the floor once again. His new golem seemed to notice Allen's depression and flew by his face and rubbed himself against Allen's cheek in a comforting matter.

"Pssh, don't worry about it! Seriously, I don't care if you got me a pair of socks for Christmas! So long as it's from you, I'll accept it happily." Lavi grinned and Allen blushed slightly.

"I wouldn't get you socks." Allen mumbled, causing Lavi to laugh out loud before standing up and wrapping his arms around the younger teen.

"That's why I love you Allen, you're so kind. I gotta say, you really are the nicest person I've ever met. You care so much about others, it's admirable really." Allen froze. He didn't know what to say. _He just told me he loves me. I know he means it like a brother, but how do I respond? I don't want to tell him I love him too and try and mean it in a brotherly way. That would mean lying to the both of us. Ugh, why must you be so amazing Lavi? _Instead of saying anything, Allen wrapped his arms around Lavi and snuggled his face into his chest, inhaling the older teen's musky scent. Lavi chuckled and ran his hand through Allen's hair affectionately.

Just then, a familiar ringtone blared throughout the room, ruining the moment. "_This is my ringtone. It's on my iPhone. No you don't have one. You're on Verizon.-_" Lavi reached down to his back pocket, pulled out his phone, and flipped it open while putting it up to his face, not letting go of Allen in the process.

"Hey, Lena. What's up?" Lavi said in a cheery voice. Allen was close enough that he could hear the conversation.

"Lavi! Where are you? We were supposed to meet up at your house to start preparing for the party!"

"Shit, I completely forgot! Sorry!"

"How the hell do you forget your own party, Lavi?"

"Amazingly. Okay, I'll be there in a couple minutes. I'm at Allen's at the moment, is there anything I should bring with me since I'm here?"

"Yeah, bring Allen. Also, bring the karaoke machine from last night. I got so many texts begging me to have karaoke again. You really put on a show last night and now everyone wants to see it!"

"Oi, would this be related to me being a partial stripper, as Allen puts it?" Lavi asked.

"Hehe, yeah. I'll explain in detail later. By the way, you were wasted last night, aren't you hungover?" Lenalee asked out of curiosity, and Allen couldn't help but wonder the same thing.

"Nope! I don't get hungover. It's a blessing passed down from generation to generation in the Bookman family." Allen rolled his eyes and he was sure Lenalee was doing the same.

"Whatever. Just hurry your ass up! We have lots of decorating to do! I even got Kanda to bring a ten foot tree to go in the living room!"

"Sweet! Alright, me and Beansprout are getting ready to bounce. See ya in a bit, Lena." Lavi hung up his phone and put it back in his back pocket. That's when the red-head realized that a certain white-haired teen was still clutching to him. "Comfy?" he asked with a smirk.

"Oh, sorry!" Allen quickly detached himself from Lavi and scrambled a couple feet away, trying to hide his red face. "An..anyway, we should go get that karaoke machine and head to your house." Lavi nodded and the two friends walked out of the room, departing for their newest adventure.

*Later*

Allen sighed as he plopped himself onto Lavi's couch. He had been helping decorate and move things since ten that morning, and now it was seven thirty. The guests would be arriving any minute and Allen couldn't help but groan. He was so exhausted that he didn't think he'd be able to make it through the party. It didn't help that he had only gotten about three hours of sleep the night before, but it didn't matter. It was Lavi's Christmas Bash and his friend would be upset if he didn't take part in his annual party. He closed his eyes, hoping to get a few seconds of rest, but a familiar cold surface was pressed against his face. "Not now, Tim. I'm trying to rest." Allen said, gently swatting away his golem. He had named the little guy Timcanpy. It was the name of the company that made Mana's pocket watch. Since the two shared the same cross, he decided that the name fit his little golem well. Unfortunately for Allen, Timcanpy had become _very _attached to him in the short time he had owned him. Instead of leaving Allen alone as requested, Timcanpy instead flew into the neck of Allen's shirt, causing the young teen to jump off the couch in surprise. "Tim!" Allen struggled to get the golem out of his shirt. As his struggle continued, he heard a giggle behind him.

"You seem energetic, Allen." Lenalee commented.

"I'm trying to, ugh, get Tim outta my, ugh, shirt!" Allen said, flailing around.

"Hehe, you're funny Allen. Hurry up, we still have to lay out the food and I could really use your help."

"Okay. I'll be just a minute." Lenalee nodded and walked out of the living room into the kitchen. Finally, Allen managed to get Timcanpy out of his shirt, but by the time he did, he wasn't angry at the golem anymore. He placed Timcanpy on his head and pet the little creature as he made his way into the kitchen.

Allen's mouth began to water at the sight of all the food laid out before him. Lenalee being the amazing baker she was made just about every possible cookie Allen could imagine. There were chocolate chip, sugar, peanut butter, white chocolate chip macadamia, and so many others were piled upon one another in giant bowls. There were also cupcakes of all flavors arranged nicely on floral plates, and two towering cakes. One was a three tiered vanilla cake with green and red icing and a miniature Santa Clause figurine on the top. 'Merry Christmas' had been written with white icing across the bottom tier with Lenalee's beautiful calligraphy. The four tiered chocolate cake had fudge icing and was decorated with little reindeer. 'Reindeer Games!' was written in white letters. On top of all that, there were brownies and cheesecakes. Allen's stomach growled and it took all of his willpower to not tackle into the delicious desserts. "Don't you think this is a bit much, Lenalee?" Allen asked, swiping away a trail of drool from his mouth.

"Not at all! Last year we ran out of treats within the first hour, so this year I made extra. Then you, me, Lavi, and Kanda will get to split the leftovers."

"Awesome!" Allen exclaimed. Lenalee giggled at her friend's cheeriness and handed him a bowl of cookies.

"Go put these by the deli cuts and chips. And don't eat any!" Allen agreed before making his way back out into the massive living room. The young teen still couldn't get over how well the place was decorated. Christmas lights were all along the walls and the ceiling, all blinking red and green. There was tinsel draped across the ceiling beams and there were hanging snowflakes that shimmered in the dimly lit room. The big plasma television hung above the fireplace and the karaoke machine was set up to it. Of course, there was a makeshift stage in front, tall enough that anyone could see who was performing from anywhere in the room, and even in the kitchen. This time, there were two microphone stands with mics, this way there could be duets. Lenalee had come up with the idea earlier. The mint green couches and the coffee table that were usually placed in the center of the enormous room were now pushed against the wall on the far right of the room next to the coat closet. The final thing that brought the entire room together was the giant ten foot Christmas tree that stood proudly in the center of the room. It was also covered in Christmas lights and ornaments as well. The whole room was festive and Allen couldn't help but grin at the fuzzy feeling it gave him. Placing the cookies on the long refreshment table to his immediate left, he heard someone thumping down the stairs.

"This is going to be the best Christmas Bash ever!" Lavi yelled, running into the room. He had changed his clothes. He was wearing green skinny jeans and a red t-shirt that had 'NAUGHTY AND PROUD' written on it. He wore his favorite knee high boots and topped off his outfit with a Santa hat. He twirled around and gave his signature cocky grin. "Whatcha think, Beansprout?" he asked.

"Looks good. And my name is Allen!" Lavi waved off Allen's remark and ran into the kitchen to ask Lenalee how he looked. Allen smiled at his friend. _It's almost as if last night never happened to him. He's happy like always. _Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Allen called and ran to the front door. He opened it up to reveal Tyki and Road standing before him. Road was wearing a mini Santa dress with a black bow on the chest that ended just above her knees. The low cut top of it was lined with white fluff, as was the bottom of her dress. She was wearing black leather gloves that went past her elbows. In her hair was a tiny Santa hat clip that made her outfit come together perfectly. Her black leather boots that went up to her thigh made her legs look amazing. Tyki on the other hand was wearing his usual black slacks and white button up shirt. "Uh, welcome." Allen mumbled.

"Allen~! Merry Christmas!" Road screeched, tackling Allen in the process. He stumbled back and almost fell onto the floor, but was caught by someone. Allen turned his head to see Lavi staring at Tyki, his single eye fogged with an emotion that Allen couldn't place.

"Hello Bunny." Tyki said, smiling devilishly. Lavi just nodded his head back at him before he stood Allen up and walked out of the room. Road looked at Tyki questioningly.

"Did you two get into a fight, brother?" she asked in confusion.

"Just a lover's quarrel I assure you. We will be happy with one another again by the end of the night." Tyki said with a smile.

"Sure, as soon as you apologize" Allen grumbled, glaring at Tyki. Tyki glared back. At any other time, Allen would have looked away; not wanting to cause a fight, but this time was different. This time, Tyki had hurt Lavi, and Allen wasn't going to let it go so easily.

"Stay out of this, Beansprout. This is not your problem." Tyki said with a fierce voice.

Allen gently pulled Road out of his way and took a step towards Tyki, giving him the best killer look he could make. "It became my problem when you hurt my friend." Allen said between clenched teeth. Deep inside his mind, Allen was surprised with how evil he sounded.

Tyki's face twisted into the most malicious expression that Allen had ever seen. He grabbed Allen by the front of the shirt and yanked him so they were face to face. Allen didn't so much as flinch.

"Stay. Out. Of. This." Tyki whispered menacingly. Allen smirked.

"I don't think so." Tyki raised his arm to punch Allen, but Road screamed.

"No! Don't fight!" Both males had forgotten that she was there. Tyki instantly dropped Allen and Lavi came running into the room.

"What's going on?" Lavi demanded, looking at Allen. Allen refused to look Lavi in the eye, hoping that he would accept the silence. Unfortunately, he had once again forgotten that Road was in the room.

"Allen and Tyki were about to fight!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Allen. Lavi turned and glared at Tyki.

"You were going to fight him?" he asked, the tone of his voice sounding dangerous. Tyki shrugged.

"The Beansprout asked for it. If anything, it's his fault."

"I DON'T CARE!" Lavi shouted, making everyone jump. "DON'T YOU _EVER _TOUCH HIM? YOU HEAR ME TYKI?" Tyki's face was stunned and Allen's face was about the same. Tyki quickly regained his composure and smiled.

"Yes, I hear you crystal clear Bunny." Lavi scoffed and walked back into the kitchen with Tyki following after. Allen stood silent, still holding Road. _He just yelled at Tyki over me. Am I crazy? Did that just happen? _That's when the doorbell rang again, signaling the arrival of more guests. _This is going to be one hell of a party,_ Allen thought as he opened the door.

**[Note from the author: Hey. Thanks for finishing Chapter Ten. It must have been hard to get through the boringness, huh? Again, sorry for the uneventful chapter, but it was necessary. **

**Okay, here's where I would like some help. Next chapter there will be some more karaoke. I already have two songs planned, one for Allen and one for Lavi, but does anyone have any ideas of some songs? I was thinking about having Allen and Road sing a duet and Lenalee sing a song to Kanda. I am constantly reminded that my music taste sucks, so if you have any song requests, write me a review. I will be updating some time this week (hopefully before Christmas), so write your reviews quickly! Okay here's what I'm looking for:**

**Lenalee: a song to sing to Kanda expressing her feelings to him. **

**Allen and Road: a nice, happy upbeat duet with a guy and girl part. It doesn't necessarily have to be a love song, but if you have one in mind, that'd be cool. **

**Random Character (you pick): Upbeat song. **

**If you guys can help me with this, I will love you forever! Please, please, please review! It'd mean so much to me! **

**Next chapter the drama really will begin. Promise! Stay tuned!**

**Until Next Time! **

**~animeobsessed001] **


	11. Chapter 11

**[Note from the author: Hello friends! Holy crap! 72 reviews? I am surprised I got any at all, but I reached 72! I love you all! You guys rock! **

**Okay, I know that I promised to have this uploaded by Christmas. I'm sorry that I couldn't stick to that. Honestly, at like 11:45 pm on Christmas I almost uploaded it, but as I was rereading it I realized something. I hated it. Everything seemed rushed and it was just boring until the end. I had even taken out Lavi's karaoke moment that I was so excited to write about! So, me being the perfectionist I am, I deleted the fifteen page story and started from scratch. Sadly, once I deleted everything, I got a terrible case of writer's block (plus I'm a bit of a procrastinator.. xD). Finally, this is what I came up with. I hope that it turned out alright. **

**My usual thank you's will be at the end of the chapter. **

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This is purely fanmade and I am not making any profit off it. The same goes for the music that will be featured.**

**Happy New Year and Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001] **

Chapter Eleven

Music pounded loudly throughout the massive Bookman house. The living room was packed full of people. The annual Christmas Bash was turning out to be a success. Allen knew that Lavi would be bragging about how awesome this party was for a long time. Speaking of the red-head, Allen saw across the sea of people that Lavi was currently downing shots of God knows what with Kanda. Allen sighed; once again, Lavi was drinking. Although he had to admit that some things that Lavi did while he was intoxicated were quite entertaining, he would much rather his friend sober. A tug at his arm brought him back to his senses. "Allen? Earth to Allen?" Road said, sounding annoyed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Allen asked, shaking his head. Road sighed.

"I said, we should sing a duet! It would totally be adorable! It would be the best way to announce our relationship to the student body!"

"Um, Road, why would you want to announce that we're dating to the school? The last time I was brought to the school's attention, I was being pelted with nachos. I don't want you to be teased or harassed because you are with me." Road gave Allen a small smile before she pulled him into a gentle kiss.

"Honey, I don't care if people make fun of me for being with the 'monster'. The way I see it, I'm happy, and they can all suck it!" Allen beamed at Road's words and kissed her softy.

"You always know how to make me smile." He whispered as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as she locked hers around his neck. They held each other, simply swaying back and forth to the music.

"So, will you sing with me?" she asked. Her pink lips pouted and her eyes were wide. Allen thought that it was the most adorable and irresistible puppy dog face he had ever seen. Defeated, he sighed and nodded his head.

"Fine. What would you like to sing?" Road squealed happily as she grabbed Allen's hand and dragged him to the stage. She stood a mic stand before Allen and then turned off the current music –which was Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy-, causing everyone to look up at the stage. Allen tried to hide his face as people started to turn towards him. He knew that many people still thought of him as a monster. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.. _

"Hey everyone! Having fun so far?" Road yelled into her microphone. There were loud cheers and Road beamed. "Alright! Well, it's time for the karaoke to commence! My boyfriend Allen and I will begin. If you want to sing, you can take the stage after us. Don't be shy! Now let's have fun!" There were more cheers and Allen felt better. _At least no one is screaming 'monster'. _Road walked next to Allen and the song began to play. It was a Christmas classic. "_I really can't stay._" Road sang in a sultry voice.

"_But baby it's cold outside._" Allen interjected at the right time.

"_I've got to go away._" Road took a few steps towards the other side of the stage.

"_But baby it's cold outside._" Allen reached out for her, holding her arm in his hand.

"_This evening has been,_" Road stood still.

"_Been hoping that you'd drop in._" Allen stepped closer to Road, pressing her back against his chest.

"_So very nice._" She leaned her head back against Allen's shoulder.

"_I'll hold you're hands. They're just like ice._" Allen took her free hand in his and kissed it gently.

"_My mother will start to worry._" Road broke away from Allen once again, taking a couple steps away.

"_Beautiful, what's your hurry?" _Allen took hold of Road's arm again and turned her towards him.

"_My father will be pacing the floor._" Road placed her free hand against Allen's chest, sending a shiver throughout his body.

"_Listen to the fireplace roar." _Allen leaned his forehead against Road's and took her hand off his chest and held it in his own.

"_So really I'd better scurry._" Again, Road turned to walk away, but didn't let go of his hand.

"_Beautiful, please don't hurry._" Allen raised their joined hands above her head and spun her back into his chest.

"_Well, maybe just a half a drink more._" Road gave Allen a teasing smile.

"_Put some records on while I pour._" Allen returned the smile.

"_The neighbors might think,_" Road turned her back to Allen.

"_Baby it's bad out there._" He turned her around, facing him once again.

"_Say, what's in this drink?_" Road leaned in closer to Allen.

"_No cabs to be had out there._" Allen also leaned in closer, his forehead almost resting on Road's.

"_I wish I knew how,_" Road allowed Allen to lean in closer.

"_Your eyes like starlight now._" Allen's hand cupped Road's face, staring deep into her eyes.

"_To break this spell._" Road turned her head away and gently brushed Allen's hand off.

"_I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell._" Allen brought his hand back to her face and twirled a lock of black hair in his fingers.

"_I ought to say no, no, no sir._" Road backed away, waving a finger while smiling coyly.

"_Mind if I move in closer?_" Allen side stepped closer and wrapped his arm around her waist, now standing side by side with her.

"_At least I'm gonna say that I tried._" Road shrugged and leaned her head against Allen's shoulder again.

"_What's the sense in hurting my pride?_" Allen held Road closer and leaned in, pressing chin to the top of her head.

"_I really can't stay._" Road tried to break away, but Allen clutched her tightly.

"_Baby don't hold out._" He rested his chin on her bare shoulder.

"_Oh but it's cold outside_." Their voices harmonized together perfectly. The crowd was silent. They couldn't look away from the performance in front of them.

"_I simply must go._" Road suddenly broke from Allen's grasp and walked away yet again.

"_But baby its cold outside._" Allen held out his arm, pleading.

"_The answer is no_." Road shook her head and waved her index finger.

"_But baby its cold outside_." Allen took two strides and wrapped his arm around her yet again and pulled her in tightly against his own body.

"_This welcome has been," _She looked at Allen, her voice sexy.

"_How lucky that you dropped in_." Allen stroked her cheek.

"_So nice and warm_." Road leaned into the touch.

"_Look out the window at that storm_." Allen smiled at his girlfriend's reaction.

"_My sister will be suspicious_." Road shook her head, but didn't move anymore.

"_Gosh, your lips look delicious_." Allen used his thumb to slide across her bottom lip.

"_My brother will be there at the door." _Road sang unmoving, enjoying her boyfriend's touch.

"_Waves upon the tropical shore_." Allen simply stared into Road's eyes, his thumb still pressed to her lip.

"_My maiden aunt's mind is vicious_." Road looked back into Allen's eyes, marveling how beautiful they were.

"_Oh your lips are delicious_." Allen grinned as he traced her lips once again.

"_But maybe just a cigarette more_." Road smiled through Allen's touch.

"_Never such a blizzard before_." Allen leaned in to kiss her.

"_I've got to go home._" She abruptly turned on her heel and walked to the other side of the stage.

"_But baby, you'll freeze out there._" Allen walked up to her once more and used his hand to rub her arm.

"_Say, lend me your coat_." Road gently tugged on his hoodie.

"_It's up to your knees out there._" Allen slid his hand down Road's side to her leg and tickled her knee.

"_You've been really grand._" She used her hand to hold Allen's.

"_I'm thrilled when you touch my hand._" Allen intertwined his fingers with Road's.

"_But don't you see?_" Road shook her head again.

"_How can you do this thing to me?_" Allen looked at Road, his expression pleading.

"_There's bound to be talk tomorrow._" Road inched back.

"_Think of my life long sorrow._" Allen feigned distress.

"_At least there will be plenty implied._" Road turned away one final time, instantly caught by Allen.

"_If you caught pneumonia and died._" Allen held her close.

"_I really can't stay._" Road looked into Allen's eyes, finally giving up running away.

"_Get over that hold out._" Allen smiled.

"_Ohh, baby it's cold outside_." Their voices came together for the final verse as they leaned in for a passionate kiss. When they parted, the entire room was silent for a good thirty seconds before loud cheers broke through the silence. Allen and Road held hands as they bowed to the crowd before dismounting the stage. The two were instantly greeted by Lenalee.

"Oh my God! You two were so cuute~!" she squealed, wrapping them into a big hug.

"Thank you Lenalee! Wasn't Allen's singing amazing?" Road asked.

"Of course! I didn't know you could make your voice sound so sexy Allen."

Allen blushed slightly. "Um, thanks?"

"Allen, we should go play some games!" Road exclaimed happily. She motioned towards a group of people crowded around a table playing beer pong.

Allen shook his head. "I don't drink, Road. I'm sorry."

Road gave Allen another puppy dog face. Her beautiful purple eyes were wide and tearing up, her pink lips pouty and slightly trembling. It was even better than the one that made him sing earlier. "Please, Allen? I wanna go play."

"But Road.." Allen trailed off. Suddenly, he felt something large slam against his back. He yelped, swinging his head around to see a familiar mess of unruly red hair.

"Heey Alleeen~. Whatcha talkin' 'bout?" Lavi asked. The red-head reeked of Smirnoff.

"What's it to you, you drunken rabbit?" Road asked.

Lavi pouted. "I jus' wanna know wha' my beansprout's up tooo~."

"He's not _your_ beansprout, he's _my_ beansprout." Road practically growled.

"My name is Allen! I'm not a beansprout!" Allen said angrily.

"Yessh you are. It's 'cause you're short." Lavi said with a grin.

"I am not short! I'm just vertically challenged." Allen mumbled the last part, causing Road, Lenalee, and Lavi to burst out into laughter, making Allen blush more.

"Oh, Allen, we're just messing around with you. Anyway, you should go play with Road. I have to go do something. I'll meet up with you in a little bit." Lenalee said, giving Allen one last hug before disappearing into the giant crowd.

Lavi raised an eyebrow at Lenalee's words. "Play wiff Road? Wha'd she mean by that?" he asked.

"None of your business, stupid rabbit!" Road yelled while trying to yank Lavi off Allen.

Lavi held Allen tighter. "I won' let go till you tell me wha' you're up tooo~!"

"She just wants me to play beer pong with her. I'm trying to tell her that I don't drink, but she won't listen." Allen said, trying to loosen the red-head's grip on his neck.

"Oooh~! Road's getting' beansprout to play a drinkin' game? Even I can't do that!" he beamed at Road, something that Allen had most definitely hadn't expected. "I've been tryin' to get this 'ere shortstack t' drink for a loooooong time. Every time I try he gets all mad a' me 'n says he don' drink." Lavi released his grip on Allen. "Can I play? Pweeease? I wanna see my lil' buddy drink!" Lavi did something that surprised Allen. He literally dropped onto his knees into a begging position. "Pwetty, pwetty, pwetty pweeeeease! I jus' wanna see my beansprout drink a' least once this lifetime!"

Road watched as Lavi make a fool of himself. She sighed and offered him a hand to help him up. "Come on then. You and Kanda can be on a team, and me and Allen will play against you. Sound good?"

Lavi chuckled and took Road's hand. "Mmkay. I'll go get Yuu and the beer. Go set it up, 'kay?"

Road nodded and dragged Allen to the now empty table. "Do you know how to play?" she asked Allen.

"Um, I have a faint idea." Allen replied.

"Okay, I'll explain the rules while we set things up." She found a big stack of plastic cups nearby and began to set them up. "Okay, so what you want to do is try and throw the ping pong balls into the opponent's beer cups. You can toss or bounce it, but if you bounce it they can knock the ball away. If you make a ball go into their cup, they have to drink the beer from that cup. The same goes for you, if they make the ball land in one of your cups, then you have to drink. Also, if you knock over one of your cups, you have to drink the equivalent amount of beer that was spilled. Understand?" By the time she was finished explaining the rules, she had arranged ten cups on each side of the table like bowling pins and placed to cups on either sides of the table.

Allen stared blankly at the game layout before him. _I can't believe I agreed to this. _"I.. I think I got it."

"Good! Oh, here comes Lavi."

Allen swiveled his head around to see the said red-head skipping towards the table, gripping onto the arm of an angry looking Japanese teen who was clutching a bunch of beer cans. "Heey~! I got Yuu~!"

"Shaddup baka usagi." Kanda slurred, and Allen noticed that he had switched back to insulting in Japanese.

"Why does e'ryone keep callin' me a bunny?" Lavi mumbled, handing Road one of the six packs. He opened a can and started to pour its contents into cups.

Allen's nose wrinkled at the foul smell. He still couldn't believe that he was going to drink. He hated alcohol. It was all his master's fault. Although, he couldn't blame all of his distaste on his master, it was partially his own fault. Closing his eyes, he began to think of why he should be refusing.

He had sworn off drinking ever since the last time he had a glass of his master's wine and ended up trying to overdose. It had been his first time drinking, and his tolerance was low, so it only took one glass for his mind to plunge into deep depression over Mana's death. He had stumbled out of the motel's –the place that he and his master stayed briefly- kitchen and into the bathroom. With shaky hands, he shuffled through the medications that were in the bag his master had brought with him, hoping to find something strong. His hand settled on a bottle of Tylenol that was over half full. Opening the bottle as quickly as he could, Allen dumped a good handful of pills into his palm and shoved them into his mouth. He turned on the sink and leaned over the counter, gulping the water along with the medication. He repeated this action until the medication bottle was empty. Sinking down to the floor, the young boy closed his eyes, waiting for death to come. Luckily for him, his master came just then and realized what had happened, then got him to the hospital. He was barely saved.

_Had Master not come for me, I would have been dead. I regret what I did. I didn't want to die. What if that happens again if I drink? What if I breakdown and all my emotions I've kept hidden come pouring out, all while I'm staring a knife? What.. what if I make that mistake this time, and no one is there to help me? What if I die? I can't die. Lavi needs me. Road needs me. I can't. I shouldn't be doing this. I can't. _

"Moyashi, pay attention." Kanda grumbled, snapping Allen out of his deep thoughts.

"Uh, okay. So are we starting?" Allen asked.

"Yeah. Come stand by me Allen." Road said, gesturing an empty space next to her. He walked over next to her and stared down at the ten cups of beer before him. The sight of the yellow, fizzy liquid in front of him made him want to vomit.

"I.. I don't think I can do this.." Allen tried, hoping someone would let him off the hook.

"Hey, Allen, you look a lil' pale. Ya 'ight?" Lavi asked.

"Moyashi's always pale." Kanda commented.

"Now he's really pale! Look a' 'im!" Lavi pointed at Allen, his face full of drunken concern.

"He'll be alright. Now let's play!" Road said, taking a ping pong ball into her hand. "I'll toss this one, you go next, okay?" she said to Allen.

Allen could only nod, regretting it immediately. _Dammit! I just agreed to play! _

Road tossed the ping pong ball, missing one of the cups. "Damn." She mumbled. "Your turn Allen." She said, turning to give Allen a smile.

Allen looked down at the small white ball in his hand. _Once I toss this, there's no going back. I'll have to drink.. _He sighed heavily, feeling the stares of his friends on him, waiting for him to make his move. He lifted the small ball up to his eye level, and carefully tossed it across the table towards the cups, missing narrowly.

"Damn. Maybe next time, eh?" Lavi asked with a smirk.

"Yeah. Maybe." Allen replied, feeling like crap. He had now engaged in the game. _I'm so screwed. _

Fifteen minutes passed and Allen realized a few important things. One, Lavi was _really_ good at beer pong. Two, Kanda was also good at beer pong. Three, Road sucked at beer pong. And four, he found that his tolerance for alcohol was the same as it was three years ago –very low. He had already drank four cups and was feeling very warm and fuzzy. Road had four cups also, but after her third she left saying that she needed to help Lenalee with something. This left Allen on to play on his own with two other drunken teens.

Allen aimed the ball again and tossed it, making it land in one of the cups with a _plop_. He smiled at his accomplishment. "Drink up Lavi." He slurred.

"With pleasure," Lavi said, lifting the cup to his lips and downing the beer with two big gulps, his Adam's Apple bouncing as he drank. Placing the cup in the slowly growing stack beside him, he gave Allen his signature grin, making Allen's heart flutter. "My turn. Lessee if I can get it." He aimed the ball and tossed it over, making it land in one of Allen's remaining cups. "Yeah!" Lavi yelled out triumphantly, throwing his hands in the air.

"Che. My turn." Kanda said, aiming his ball. He missed the cups by a long shot.

Allen smirked. "Havin' problems Kanda?"

"Shaddup Moyashi." The navy-haired boy mumbled, leaning his head on the side of the table.

"Yuu can't hold 'is liquor." Lavi joked, poking Kanda in the arm.

"Shaddup" he said again, closing his eyes.

"Whatev. Drink up Shortstack!" Lavi called.

Allen nodded and picked the small ball out of his cup before holding the lip of the red plastic up to his mouth and letting the bitter liquid run into down his throat. He gulped it down slowly, but didn't stop. The first cup he drank, he wanted to gag. The bitter drink made his stomach feel horrible and the smell of it didn't help. Now that he was on his fifth, it was still bitter, but he didn't want to puke anymore. When it hit his stomach, it made his body grow warmer. He was enjoying the feeling. Once his cup was empty, he smiled and put it into the stack beside him. "Done." He said.

"Yeah! Go Allen~!" Lavi called happily. "See? Drinkin' ain't that bad."

Allen giggled. "I guess you're right. I must've been thinkin' 'bout it too much." Just then, the music that was playing was cut –the song was a personal favorite of Allen's, _Misery Business _by Paramore- and a familiar voice rang throughout the sound system, making Allen turn his head to see his favorite Asian girl standing on the stage.

"Hey everyone! Are you guys having a good time?" Cheers erupted from the party guests and Lenalee smiled. "That's awesome. I noticed that the karaoke died down so I'm going to take a turn. I'd like to dedicate this next song to my friend Kanda." Allen watched as Kanda's head snapped up at the sound of his name. Lenalee took a deep breath as the song began. "_La da da da. La da da da.._"

"_I'm tugging at my hair. I'm pulling on my clothes. I'm trying to keep my cool. I know it shows. I'm staring at my feet. My cheeks are turning red, and I'm searching for the words inside my head. 'Cause I'm feeling nervous, trying to be so perfect. 'Cause I know you're worth it. You're worth it. Yeah._" Although Lenalee looked like she was going to collapse from nervousness, she sounded beautiful in Allen's opinion.

"_If I could say what I want to say, I'd say I want to blow you away. Be with you every night. Am I squeezing you too tight? If I could say what I want to see, I want to see you go down on one knee. Marry me today. Guess I'm wishing my life away. With these things I'll never say._"

Allen wished so much that he could see the look on Kanda's face, but he just couldn't bring himself to tear his gaze away from his beautiful friend on the stage. Her stance was nervous, yet proud. She held the wireless microphone in her left hand while her right hand was softly pressed against her belly. Her tight, bright red sequined strapless top shimmered in the dim lights. Her knees wobbled slightly beneath her deep green mini skirt, the ruffles on the end moving slightly.

"_It don't do me any good. It's just a waste of time. What use is it to you what's on my mind? If it ain't coming out, we're not going anywhere. So why can't I just tell you that I care? 'Cause I'm feeling nervous, trying to be so perfect. 'Cause I know you're worth it. I know you're worth it. Yeah. If I could say what I want to say, I'd say I want to blow you away. Be with you every night. Am I squeezing you too tight? If I could say what I want to see, I want to see you go down on one knee. Marry me today. Guess I'm wishing my life away. With these things I'll never say._" Lenalee's fear seemed to disappear completely. She stood tall and was now moving around the stage with confidence as she sang.

"_What's wrong with my tongue? These words keep slipping away. I stutter, I stumble, like I have nothing to say. 'Cause I'm feeling nervous, trying to be so perfect. 'Cause I know you're worth it. You're worth it. You're worth it. Yeah._" Lenalee smiled at the dumbstruck samurai whose eyes had widened ever so slightly. For Kanda, that was something huge.

"_La da da da. La da da da.._" Lenalee closed her eyes as she vocalized, her voice sounding much more confident then it had before when she was doing the same thing.

"_Yes, I'm wishing my life away with these things I'll never say. If I could say what I want to say, I'd say I want to blow you away. Be with you every night. Am I squeezing you too tight? If I could say what I want to see, I want to see you go down on one knee. Marry me today. Guess I'm wishing my life away. With these things I'll never say. These things I'll never say.._" With the end of Lenalee's song came loud cheers and hollers.

Allen applauded loudly along with Lavi. The white-haired teen turned his head slightly to look at Kanda's reaction. The older teen's face was priceless. His eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped slightly. Allen almost laughed, but Lenalee started approaching them, so he kept his mouth shut.

"H..hey Kanda.." Lenalee said, fidgeting her feet as she stood before him.

"Hi." Kanda said lamely.

"Did.. did you hear my song?" Lenalee asked.

"Yeah. Very nice." Kanda replied.

"I dedicated that to you. I hope you understand what I was trying to say.." her voice trailed off.

That's when Kanda did something that surprised everyone. He stepped forward and wrapped Lenalee into a hug. Allen and Lavi both gaped at Kanda and Lenalee's eyes went wide.

"Yeah. I got the message." He said.

Lenalee smiled and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "I'm so glad." The two continued to hug until Lavi began to laugh. At the sound of the red-head's laughter, the two broke apart and glared at him.

"I soo knew you two would end up together~! Congrats guys!" Lenalee rolled her eyes and Kanda glowered at Lavi's comment.

"Whatever. Want to go sit on the couch with me?" Lenalee asked, hugging Kanda once more.

"Sure." Kanda took Lenalee's hand and walked away towards the couch.

"Great, now we lost another player!" Lavi exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air in mock exasperation.

"I's all good. We can jus' go do somethin' else." Allen replied.

Lavi shook his head. "Oh hell no. We're gonna finish this. Hurry up 'n toss 'em!"

Allen ended up losing the game ten minutes later. Lavi won with two cups to spare. Then the red-head downed the cups in record time. "Less go do somethin' else." Lavi slurred, throwing his arm around Allen's shoulder.

"Mmkay." Allen said, his head drooping against Lavi's arm ever so slightly. As the duo made their way through the large living room to find something to entertain themselves, Lavi was suddenly ripped away from Allen, causing the younger teen to lose his balance and fall on his rear.

"Lavi! You _have _to sing karaoke!" A girl Allen didn't really recognize squealed. "I heard about what you did at Allen's surprise birthday yesterday and I want to see!"

"Well, I dunno.. It's up to my lil' shortstack o'er there I guess. We were gonna go do somethin'. If he says I can, I will."

Suddenly, Allen felt a random body slam against him as he was trying to stand up. "Allen~! Can Lavi do a karaoke number? Please? I want to see him sing!" the girl's voice was very irritating and he was getting a little upset that this random chick had clutched on to him. He almost said no just to make her upset. Almost.

"Fine. Whatever. Jus' hurry up." Allen mumbled.

The girl that was latched on to him squealed again and hugged him tightly. She rose up quickly and ran over to Lavi. "You hear that? He said it would be fine! Now come on!" she took hold of the red-head's hand and walked him up to the stage.

Lavi didn't need any further persuasion. He placed himself in front of a mic stand and stared out to the crowd. "Heey~!" he called. This caused loud applause and hollers, as well as squeals from the audience. "Everyone read for a show?" he asked, causing more squeals. He grinned ear to ear as he used the remote to pick a song. The music began and the red-head's happy grin turned into what could only be described as a perverted smirk.

"_So hot, out the box. Can we pick up the pace? Turn it up, heat it up, I need to be entertained. Push the limit. Are you with it? Baby don't be afraid. Imma hurt you real good baby._" Lavi held the wireless mic in his right hand and used his left hand to reach for the stand in front of him.

"_Let's go its my show. Baby do what I say. Don't trip off the glitz that I'm gonna display. I told ya, Imma hold you down until your amazed. Give it to ya till you're screaming my name. No escaping when I start. Once I'm in I own your heart. There's no way to ring the alarm. So hold on till it's over!_"Lavi held the mic stand close enough that it pressed against his chest. He clutched to the stand as he spread his legs on either side of the stand and slid down slowly. With the final words, he thrust his hips forward, while still crouching, causing many drunken screams of encouragement.

"_Oh, do ya know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do? 'Cause it's about to get rough for you. I'm here for your entertainment. Oh, I bet you thought I was soft and sweet. Ya thought an angel swept you off your feet. Well I'm about to turn up the heat. I'm here for your entertainment._"Sliding back up the stand, Lavi placed his hand on the top of it and started to grind his hips against it.

"_It's alright, you'll be fine. Baby I'm in control. Take the pain, take the pleasure I'm the master of both. Close your eyes, not your mind, let me into your soul. Imma work ya till you're totally blown. No escaping when I start. Once I'm in I own your heart. There's no way to ring the alarm. So hold on till it's over!_"Lavi still held to the top of the microphone stand as he swung his hips side to side sexily with the rhythm of the music, thrusting his hips forward every now and then.

"_Oh, do ya know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do? 'Cause it's about to get rough for you. I'm here for your entertainment. Oh, I bet you thought I was soft and sweet. Ya thought an angel swept you off your feet. Well I'm about to turn up the heat. I'm here for your entertainment._"Lavi turned his back to the crowd, shaking his ass to the beat. With his hand that wasn't clutching the microphone, he began to slowly trace the side of his body, causing more squeals.

"_Oh! Do ya like what you see? Oh! Let me entertain ya till you scream! Oh, do ya know what you got into? Can you handle what I'm 'bout to do? 'Cause it's about to get rough for you. I'm here for your entertainment. Oh, I bet you thought I was soft and sweet. Ya thought an angel swept you off your feet. Well I'm about to turn up the heat. I'm here for your entertainment._" When the song was over, the stage was instantly bombarded with tons of screaming girls.

Allen watched and tried very hard to not be jealous as he witnessed numerous girls cling to the person he would give almost anything to be with. As he was thinking this, a familiar body pressed against his back.

"Hey Allen" Road whispered into his ear, making shivers go down his back.

"H..hello." he stuttered, all thoughts of Lavi gone from his mind as Road's hand started making circles on his chest.

"Having fun?" she asked, her breath right on his ear.

Allen's breath came out shaky, his attention on where Road's hands were wandering. They continued their circular motions, but they were slowly making their way down. Lower. Even lower. Her fingertips were now messing with the bottom of his shirt. She giggled as she slowly slid them into his shirt and gently brushed his flat stomach.

"R..Road?" Allen asked, suddenly self conscious.

"Shhh.. I'm just playing with you, baby." She whispered in his ear before she started to nibble at his earlobe. Her dainty fingers continued their exploration as they trailed along Allen's ribcage.

"Road.. have you had anythin' else to drink?" Allen asked, finding it hard to form the words in his mouth with his mind fogged in more ways then one.

"Mmm, just a couple shots. Why?" she asked.

"Uhm jus' curious I s'pose.." Allen trailed off. In the back of his mind, he knew that he should be backing away from her, shouldn't be allowing this to happen, but he just couldn't bring himself to make it stop. It just felt so good.

"Okay, I think tha's enough! Break it up!" Lavi's voice boomed from behind Road and made her stop and pull away. Allen couldn't help but feel a little relieved. The two turned around to face the older teen.

Road was pissed from being interrupted. "Dammit Lavi! Go find someone else to bother!" she yelled.

"Naah~. I'm good." Lavi replied, sticking his tongue out in a childish way. Road growled at Lavi's actions, but the red-head ignored her. "Hey Allen, you should go sing somethin'. You did awesome before."

"But I don't really wanna.." Allen mumbled.

"Aww. Pwease best friend?" Lavi asked as he pulled Allen into a tight hug. "Pwetty, pwetty pweeeaase? With, like, twenty cherries on top?"

Allen hardly heard his friend's plea. He was busy enjoying the embrace. He loved the warmth of his friend's body. Suddenly, he found himself thinking that he wished he could kiss him. He vaguely remembered the warmth of Lavi's lips from the short kisses they shared in the past. His heart picked up its pace as he realized that he _really_ wanted to kiss Lavi. Thankfully, he wasn't drunk enough to act on his thoughts. Yet.

"Allen? Are ya gonna go sing for me?" Lavi asked and this time Allen heard him.

"I guess." Allen grumbled as he turned to the stage. Once on it, he took a microphone and sighed. "Hey everyone. I'm gonna sing 'cause Lavi's making me." He said into the mic, not realizing how much of an idiot he looked like. Thankfully, a good majority of the party was drunk along with him, so they applauded as his song began.

"_Yeah I'll tell you something I think you'll understand. When I say that something I want to hold your hand. I want to hold your hand. I want to hold your hand._" Allen listened to the words that were leaving his lips. He couldn't help but think of two people as his song continued.

"_Oh please say to me you'll let me be your man. And please say to me you'll let me hold your hand. Now, let me hold your hand. I want to hold your hand._" As he was singing, he glanced at the spot where the two people he cared so much for were watching him, both in awe.

"_And when I touch you I feel happy inside. It's such a feeling that my love, I can't hide. I can't hide. I can't hide._" Allen's eyes slid closed and clutched the microphone stand in front of him tightly, letting the song come from the depths of his heart. Sure, his head was foggy from the alcohol he had consumed, but he knew that he meant every word that came out of his mouth.

"_Yeah you got that something. I think you'll understand. When I feel that something I want to hold your hand. I want to hold your hand. I want to hold your hand._" Allen slowly opened his eyes to see the crowd erupt into drunken applause. He searched the room for the two people that mattered the most to him, and he didn't have to search long because he was suddenly grabbed by both his ankles. Before he could see who it was, his ankles were yanked on, causing the young teen to fall back onto his rear for the second time that night and was dragged off the stage.

"Good work lil' buddy!" Lavi said, hugging his friend once he was off the stage.

"Oww, Lavi that hurt." Allen complained.

"Get o'er it. Me 'n that lil' bitch you call a girlfriend gotta game to play. Lessgo." Without warning, Lavi slung the smaller teen over his shoulder as if he were a sack of potatoes.

"Lavi! Lemme go!" Allen squeaked in surprise.

"Nope. You're comin' with me. Get o'er it." The red-head replied. Allen could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"But what if Tyki sees? He'll be mad."

With those words, Lavi froze. He continued to hold Allen over his shoulder, but he stopped moving. "Fuck that bitch." Lavi muttered angrily.

Allen was stunned. "Wh..what was that?"

"I said: Fuck. That. Bitch." Lavi growled.

"Fuck me, huh?" the duo turned their heads to see Tyki standing to the right of them looking extra pissed. Lavi carefully set Allen on his feet before he replied.

"Yeah. Fuck off!" Lavi spat.

Allen gaped at Lavi. He wasn't sure whether he had just hallucinated what happened. "Uh, Lavi, less jus' go play that game." The white-haired teen said.

"No. I'm fine. He just needs to go away before I attack him." Lavi said, narrowing his single bloodshot eye at the Portuguese teen before them. His voice was dark and menacing, something that Allen never heard before.

"Why are you so upset with me, Bunny?" Tyki asked with a smirk.

"For one, you're a bitch! Second, you friggin' raped me last night! Third, you laid your hands on _my _Beansprout. _No one_ touches my Beansprout." Lavi's voice was dripping with venom.

Allen stared at Lavi in shock, obviously trying to let his words sink in. Once they did, he was seeing red. He had never felt as much rage as he was feeling at that moment. His fists were clenching beside him, his breathing became ragged, and his teeth were grinding against each other. Tyki had raped Lavi. Lavi did remember, he just didn't want to tell Allen, but now he knew.

"Tyki I'm going to kill you, you mother fucker." Allen growled. Had one not seen the pure hatred shining in Allen's eyes, they would have known he was furious because he just cussed. Allen _never_ cussed. Even Lavi had widened his eye at his friend.

"Bring it you little bitch." Tyki slammed his fist into Allen's head, making him see stars.

Fortunately, the white-haired boy was used to getting punched in the head by his master, so he was able to quickly collect his composure. Allen pulled back his right fist, ready to slam it into Tyki's smug face. Just as he was about to throw the punch, Lavi stopped him. Allen didn't know what to expect. He certainly wasn't expecting Lavi to jump at Tyki, knock him onto the ground, and start slamming his fists into his face again and again, but that's what happened.

Lavi sat on top of Tyki, glaring down at him in disgust. "Tyki, I was willing to look past what happened last night. I was willing to forgive you for that. I was looking past the fact that you _raped _me, because I love you. Then you go and hurt Allen. I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT!" He yelled as he swung his fist into Tyki's face a final time before he stood up. With a final glance, Lavi spit at him. "We're through, Tyki. Now get out of my sight." With that, Lavi stomped away, grabbing Allen's hand as he left.

Allen looked over his shoulder at the fallen teen as he was being dragged away. He was lying on his back, struggling to sit up. His nose was bloodied, and he would have a black eye no doubt. He still couldn't wrap around his mind around the fact that Lavi had just beaten his boyfriend –er, ex boyfriend now- to a pulp. Sure, he was having a hard time wrapping his mind around anything thanks to the BudLite from before, but still. He looked back at Lavi whose jaw was set and his single, bloodshot eye was dark with rage. "L..Lavi?" Allen asked.

"Wha?" Lavi replied. His voice wasn't as dark as it was before, but there was still a hint of anger.

"Umm, what are we gonna play?" Allen asked, praying that it would suffice as a good change of subject.

Lavi stopped abruptly, causing Allen to run into his back with an _oof!_ Allen's heart did a flip flop as an evil smirk was painted on his friend's face. "Well, me 'n Road decided that we both wanna play a certain game with you."

"Um, what game?" Allen asked, very nervous.

"Seven minutes in heaven." With that, Lavi tugged a stunned Allen to the small group of people gathering around the twin couches.

"Oh." Allen replied simply, suddenly wishing that he had agreed to beer pong.

**[Note from the author: Cliffhanger! Please don't hate me, but I couldn't help it! ^w^ Honestly, this isn't may favorite chapter, but it'll have to do. Sorry if it seems choppy or rushed! **

**Anywho, thanks for reading Chapter Eleven! You all rock! Also, thanks for the reviews! Your guys' reviews gave me some amazing inspirations! I'm sorry that I couldn't use very many of the songs that were requested, but a lot of them gave me ideas for future chapters. Thank you to **the Fuzziest Panda **for suggesting "Baby it's Cold Outside". **

Shadow Storyteller**, when I saw that you reviewed my story, I about exploded xD Your story ****How to Escape the Fangirls**** was one of the first Laven stories I ever read and I love it to bits. You're one of my favorite Laven authors so when you reviewed, I'm pretty sure my brain blew up from happiness. So thank you bunches and bunches! **

**One last thank you to **zamizu-me **who helped me realize that my paragraphing kinda sucks xD I realize what I've been doing wrong (for the most part) and am working on fixing it. So thanks! **

**Wow, I sure say a lot of 'thank you's.. **

**Last note: the songs that were featured were "Baby it's Cold Outside" by Glee Cast, "Things I'll Never Say" by Avril Lavgine, "For Your Entertainment" by Adam Lambert, and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by Glee Cast.  
><strong>

**Happy New Year my amazing readers!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001] **


	12. Chapter 12

**[Note from the Author: Hello my friends! Thank you for reading Chapter Twelve! **

**I know in ****Little Lavi**** I said I was going to have this uploaded earlier, but family issues got in the way, so sorry. But here it is now! Yay! Oh, and speaking of ****Little Lavi****, I finished Chapter Two already. It will be uploaded shortly =)**

**Moving on, thanks everyone for sticking with me this long. It means a lot to me. This story was originally based off a situation I was in. Pretty much, I was in Allen's position. I fell head over heels for my best friend who was with a really possessive bitch who hurt me a lot, both physically and emotionally. Then just like Allen, I was stupid enough to keep everything inside and didn't tell anyone, so I ended up seriously depressed for awhile. Thankfully, I'm out of that position now, but it still hurt to think about. That's why I decided to write about it, to maybe get it off my chest. When I receive a review or someone adds this to their story alerts, it really makes me feel good. So thank you all. **

**Alright, well I'm probably boring you now, so I'll move on with the story. Thanks again! **

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I'm not making any sort of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001] **

Chapter Twelve

"Laaaaaaviiiiii~!" Allen whined as his red-headed friend handed him yet another shot. "I don' wan' it! It hurts my throat too muuuuuuuuuch!"

"Aww c'mon pal, you gotta! Itsa party! You hafta drink."

Allen sighed and took the shot glass from Lavi, raised it to his lips, and threw his head back and gulped down the alcohol. The best way Allen could describe Smirnoff vodka was liquid fire. It burned his tongue and left a hot trail down his throat. When it hit his stomach, his whole body tingled with warmth.

"Go Beansprout!" Lavi cheered when Allen set the glass down.

"Meh. Don' like taste." Allen grumbled. He leaned back on the green couch and made himself comfortable beside Lavi. The duo, Road, Lenalee, and Kanda were all waiting for their turn to spin the bottle to see who would be the next couple in the closet for seven minutes in heaven. Krory and Miranda were currently three minutes into their turn and everyone had found something to occupy their time while they waited. Lavi, Allen and Road were all drinking while Kanda and Lenalee were in the corner making out. At first, Allen had thought that the pair moved much too fast, but now he was way too drunk to really notice them anymore. It didn't help that Lavi kept handing him shot after shot. He already had five and had long his sense of right and wrong.

When the trio realized that the vodka was running low, Road was elected to go find something else. So it was just Allen and Lavi alone on one couch while Kanda and Lenalee were munching faces on the other.

Lavi wrapped one arm around Allen's shoulders. "Itsall good, man. Road'll be here in a sec with somethin' else you can try if ya don't like vodka."

Allen leaned over so he was laying on Lavi's chest. "No more drinkin'. 'M tired. Wanna sleep." Allen nuzzled his face into Lavi's chest. "You're warm." He mumbled into Lavi's shirt, inhaling the red-head's scent. He smelled of Axe Phoenix, sweat, and fire. He smelled like Lavi, Allen's favorite scent.

Lavi chuckled and squeezed Allen lightly. "You can sleep later. Justa minute till Krory-kins and Miranda are done, then it's my turn t' spin the bottle."

Allen brought one of his hands and tugged on Lavi's shirt. "Hope it lands on me." he said. Allen had to admit that he felt really good. The warmth in his stomach from the vodka felt nice and the slight fog in his mind was comforting. It was blocking off all negative thoughts, keeping him happy. Yes, he'd just told Lavi that he hopes he gets to play seven minutes in heaven with him, but he was drunk enough that his conscious was gone out the window. He felt no guilt in telling Lavi this even when he was with Road. It was nice to finally say what was on his mind and not feel bad about it. It was like the alcohol he had consumed was a shield. A shield against his own thoughts.

Lavi blushed. "Alright bud, time t' sit up." Lavi gently pried Allen off him and made it so he was sitting up on his own.

"But Laaaaaaaviiiiii!" Allen complained.

"C'mon, Road'll eat me if she sees you laying on me. You want me dead?" Lavi asked, grinning slightly.

"Nooo! If you die I will cry and cry and cry and never stoooop!" Allen threw himself on top of Lavi and squeezed him tightly. "Don't die Laaaaaviiiii!" Allen had tears in his eyes as he held Lavi.

"What are you two doing?" both boys turned their attention to Road who was approaching them with a bottle of Jack Daniels in hand. She stumbled and sat on the couch next to Allen, scowling at Lavi.

"Oh nothin'." Lavi said.

Just as Road was about to speak, the timer on the coffee table beeped. Lavi grinned. "Miranda! Krory-kins! Time's up!" he shouted.

"I'll let them out." Road said, standing up and stumbling to the closet that wasn't even five feet away from where the couches were located. She knocked three times, the signal that the game was over.

Krory and Miranda emerged from the closet, both looking relieved. It was obvious that the two didn't do anything while in there. "Thank you, Road." Krory said as he walked away.

"No problem." Road said with a smile.

"My turn! My turn! Everyone gather 'round!" Lavi called.

Allen sighed in disappointment as he sat up, missing the warmth of Lavi's chest. He sat on the floor by the coffee table next to Lavi where he had been sitting for the past four rounds of the game. Everyone had to stay in the same spot so the turns could go clockwise around the circle of people. After Lavi, Allen will be next up to spin the bottle.

Everyone took their seats around the table and Lavi grinned. "Alright! Here we go!" he yelled as he spun the glass coke bottle as fast as it could possibly go.

Allen watched the bottle intently, silently begging it to land on him. The bottle's spinning became slower, making Allen's heart race. Finally, after what felt like an hour later, the bottle stopped. But not on Allen. The bottle pointed at a certain navy-haired Japanese teen that was glaring at the bottle with so much hate, Allen was surprised it didn't burst into flames.

"Yuu-chan~! I get Yuu-chan!" Lavi exclaimed teasingly.

Kanda growled and Lenalee glared at Lavi.

"Whaaaat? You can't be mad at me! You're the one playin'!" Lavi exclaimed.

Lenalee sighed in defeat. "He's right babe, you have to go."

"What? Why would I wanna go in a dark closet with that baka usagi?" Kanda grumbled.

"I never said you wanted to, but you have to. Just go and get it over with." She trailed her hand along his chest seductively. "If you be a good boy, I'll give you a surprise afterwards."

Kanda smiled ever so slightly and nodded before standing up. "Lets go usagi." He grumbled as he made his way to the closet.

Lavi grinned at Lenalee mischievously. "Ya'know, if he wasn't with you, I wouldn't be able to guarantee he makes it outta that closet a virgin." His comment earned him a kick from Lenalee. He laughed as he stood up and walked to the closet behind Kanda, rubbing the side of his head along the way, mumbling that he was kidding and Lenalee set the timer.

Allen watched as Lavi and Kanda stepped into the dark closet and couldn't stop a jealous growl the came from his throat. At that moment, he hated Kanda even more than he already did if that was even possible.

"Allen?"

Allen turned his attention to Road who was staring at him. She looked hurt, but Allen couldn't understand why.

"Hmm? Wha?" he asked.

"You really like Lavi, don't you?" she asked, twiddling her thumbs.

"Yeah. Why?" Allen replied with no hesitation. Because of the alcohol that he had drunk, he had the inability to lie to her like he normally would, so he was bluntly honest.

Road flinched at Allen's answer. "Do you like me? Or have you been lying to me?" she asked in a low voice.

"I do like you Road." Allen replied, his drunken mind not understanding where the conversation was going.

"But you just said that you like Lavi."

"I do."

"But you said you like me."

"I do."

"Dammit Allen!" she lunged across the coffee table and tackled Allen, knocking him to the floor, her landing on top of him. She pressed her lips against his aggressively, shocking Allen. She pulled back after a few seconds and glared at Allen. "Who do you like more? Me? Or Lavi? I want an answer."

Allen's head was swimming, not only from the vodka, but also from the sudden movement. He was feeling light headed and could hardly comprehend what Road said.

"Allen! Answer me!" she screamed, reaching her hand back and smacking Allen across the face.

"Road!" Lenalee cried, tugging the angered girl off Allen.

"Let me go Lenalee! I need an answer!" Road cried, struggling to get away from Lenalee's grasp.

"No! You are drunk! You shouldn't do something you're going to regret!"

"Let me go dammit!"

"No!"

Road continued to struggle until Lenalee lost her grip on her. Once free, Road pounced on top of Allen who was still laying on the floor trying to shake off the woozy feeling he had. "Answer me Allen! Who do you like more?" she slapped him once again, making it harder for him to think past the stinging on his right cheek.

"I like you 'n Lavi. Wait, like you 'n love Lavi." Allen finally replied. He shook his head, trying to regain some feeling in it. Road's hand connected with his face yet again, making it snap to the side from the force.

"So you've been lying to me this whole time?" she demanded, slapping him again.

"I haven't lied to you. Lying's mean." Allen said, his cheeks burning from where Road's palms had made contact with them.

"But you said you like me!" she screamed.

"I do." Allen mumbled, earning him another slap.

"Road! Stop!" Lenalee cried again, trying once more to detach her from Allen.

Road slapped Allen one final time before standing up and pushing Lenalee away. She looked down on Allen, tears in her eyes. "Allen, it's me or Lavi. Pick."

Allen stared up at Road, blinking when one of her tears dripped onto his cheek. She looked sad, broken hearted. Had Allen been sober, he would have wrapped her into a hug and whispered sweet nothings into her ear to comfort her, and apologize for being such a douche. But he wasn't sober. He was drunk. _Very_ drunk.

"Lavi." He replied simply.

Road brought her hands up to her face and began to sob and Allen watched in fascination. Her shoulders shook with each exhale, her fingers dripped tears that had been shed into her hands, and what little of her face that could be seen was red. Finally, she pulled her hands away and sniffled, glaring at Allen as she did so.

"Fine. Then we're through. Hope you're happy with that retarded rabbit!" she yelled as she delivered a kick to Allen's side, making him gasp in pain. Satisfied with his discomfort, Road stalked away from the couches, out of Allen's sight.

With great difficulty, Allen managed to sit up and looked over at Lenalee who was staring at him in shock.

"So, that means I'm single, riiight?" Allen asked her.

"Allen! You just hurt Road and you're wondering if that means you're single?"

Allen nodded. "Yeaaaah. I didn't meanta hurt her. I just answered her questions." He said, his head drooping.

Lenalee sighed and walked over to sit by Allen and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I know you did. She's just fragile."

"She's too tough to be fragile." Allen replied.

Lenalee shrugged in response. "Well, at least Lavi will be happy about this."

"Why?" Allen asked, his eyes blinking rapidly, trying to stay open. He hadn't realized how tired he really was.

"Because he likes you a whole lot. Haven't you noticed? It's way obvious."

"He was with Tyki." Allen said, still fighting to stay awake.

"And you were with Road. What's your point?"

"I dunno anymore. Mmm, I'm tired."

Just then, the timer beeped, signaling that it was time for the two males in the closet to separate. "I'll go let them out." Lenalee said, standing up.

Allen sighed at the loss of the warmth but said nothing. He looked around, wondering if anyone was going to join them for the next round of the game. His eyes rested on the unopened bottle of Jack Daniels that Road had left earlier. He reached for it and smiled at it. It hadn't crossed his drunken mind that earlier that morning, he was staring at a bottle just like it in his room wondering why people drank the horrible stuff. Now, a little over twelve hours later, he was unscrewing the cap and raising the bottle to his lips, gulping down the liquid within.

"Damn Allen, pace yourself." Lavi chuckled from behind him.

Allen took a final swallow before setting the bottle on the coffee table. Now he was not only warm all over, but he was also numb. His eyes were only half open, his body was slumped awkwardly against the coffee table, and he couldn't feel his toes, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Ya alive?" Lavi asked, walking beside Allen and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Allen slumped in Lavi's direction and landed against the red-head's side. "My turn." He mumbled as he pointed to the coke bottle on the table.

"No. I don't think it'd be good for ya t' be kissin' anyone the way you are now." Lavi smiled.

"I gotta. I wanna play wiff you." Allen said, nuzzling his face into Lavi's armpit.

"What about Road?" Lavi asked, his tone bitter.

"Gone. Dumped me." Allen replied, wrapping his arms around Lavi.

"Wha? Really?"

"Mhmmm."

Suddenly, Lavi cupped Allen's face with his hands and looked down at him. "Well, we're the only ones playin' now. So we don't hafta spin the bottle if you don't wanna."

"Uh, uh." Allen replied, staring at Lavi intently.

Lavi leaned in closer, his lips barely brushing Allen's as he spoke. "We don't have to go in the cramped closet if you don't wanna."

"Nuh, uh." Allen said.

Lavi smiled. "As you wish." With that said, he leaned in and connected his lips with Allen's.

Allen released his grip around Lavi's midsection so he could wrap his arms around his neck. He wanted so much from Lavi and wasn't content with the simple act of their lips touching. Oh no, he wanted so much more than that. He nibbled on Lavi's bottom lip, nipping a little too hard, making Lavi gasp. Being presented the opportunity, Allen thrust his tongue into Lavi's mouth and explored what was within.

Lavi moaned into the kiss and returned the fierceness that Allen started. He snaked one hand to the back of Allen's head and pressed him closer into the kiss while moving his lips harder and faster. There was so much force between the two that their teeth and gums mashed against the other's as their tongues battled for dominance.

Allen finally gave up and let Lavi win the battle and became submissive to Lavi's actions. They continued for only a few moments longer until they had to separate for some much needed air, a string of saliva dangled from their mouths as they parted, panting. They stared at one another, their brains and hearts racing as they tried to comprehend the passion that they just shared.

"D.. Damn Allen." Lavi panted.

"Hehe.. Yeah.. Damn." Allen agreed, staring at Lavi's beautiful face.

Still panting, Lavi picked Allen up bridal style and practically threw him against the couch, knocking the wind out of the younger teen. Lavi climbed on top of Allen, put his hands on either side of his head, and leaned down to start another kiss.

Allen brought his hands up behind Lavi's head and grabbed fistfuls of the soft red locks, pulling Lavi as close as he could. The red-head grinned into the kiss, obviously enjoying his partner's eagerness, and used one of his hands to trail down Allen's body and rested it against his chest. Allen sighed at the touch.

Suddenly, a loud chiming filled their ears. The two boys parted reluctantly to investigate what had been the source of the noise. It was familiar, but their intoxicated minds just couldn't figure out what it was. Finally, their eyes landed on the big grandfather clock that stood no more than ten feet away from the couches. It was announcing that it was midnight.

Lavi glanced down at Allen and smiled, still trying to regain a normal breathing pace after their vigorous kiss. "Merry Christmas." He said sweetly as he gently brushed some of Allen's hair out of his face. He leaned in; pressing his forehead against the younger teen's and smiled again. "And Happy Birthday" he whispered before pressing a soft, gentle kiss against Allen's lips. Unlike their kisses thus far, this one wasn't on accident, in the spur of the moment, or mind-blowing passionate. This kiss was soft and short, but it held so much meaning. It was Lavi's feelings being transferred into Allen through a simple touch. The feelings that Lavi had kept pent up in his mind for so long, the feelings that Allen returned.

Lavi pulled away and looked down at Allen again, his expression loving. "I'll be back. I gotta go get your gifts. 'Kay?" he asked.

Allen nodded, not fully grasping the meaning of the words that had come out of Lavi's mouth. His brain was still trying to accept the fact that he was making out with Lavi not five minutes ago, something that he had only dreamed of. He was so lost, but he didn't mind.

Lavi slowly got off Allen and made his way across the crowd. Allen watched as he walked up the stairs that led to his bedroom.

A thought crossed Allen's mind. Lavi's Christmas present was in his jeans back at home. He couldn't accept a present from Lavi if he didn't have one in return! Determined, Allen stood up shakily, and stumbled across the party and out of the front door, ready to walk home in the freezing snow.

As Allen made his way across Lavi's front lawn, a familiar nudge on his head made him smile. "Heey Tim." Allen said, petting the small creature.

Timcanpy tugged on Allen's hair, as if trying to get him back into the house. Allen tried to shoo him off, but Timcanpy was relentless. The golden golem bit Allen's ear with a growl and pulled back with as much force as the tiny thing could summon.

Allen merely pushed the little guy off. "It's okay Tim, Imma go get Lavi's present 'n come back." Timcanpy made a disapproving sound, but Allen ignored it.

After twenty minutes of walking, Allen was lost. He was also cold, seeing as he was only wearing a thin Zumiez hoodie and snow had soaked into his converse. But the drunken boy was determined to continue going, no matter how horribly lost he was. Somehow, he ended up in the abandoned part of the neighborhood. He was surrounded by old houses that had been abandoned for years. If he was sober, Allen would have been creeped out by his surroundings, but he wasn't sober, so he wasn't afraid. Timcanpy was still trying to get Allen back to the party, but to no avail.

"Lose your way?" a familiar voice asked, making Allen spin around to face the speaker. Tyki was standing against a tree, watching as Allen stumbled around like an idiot, obviously enjoying the scene.

"No." Allen answered, his rage from before filling him up.

"No? Are you sure? You've been wandering around here for a good ten minutes." Tyki replied with a grin.

"'M not lost. Leave me alone." Allen answered.

"I've been meaning to talk to you anyway and this is probably the best time to do so." Tyki said menacingly, walking towards Allen slowly, resembling a jungle cat closing in on its prey.

Timcanpy began to frantically tug at Allen's hair, but Allen took no notice, his gaze not leaving the Portuguese teen before him. "What you wanna talk 'bout?"

"Oh, nothing of great importance. Just how much I hate you for stealing my boyfriend from me. Then, when I thought I couldn't hate you anymore than I already did, I found out that you broke my little sister's heart. I used to despise you, but now there are no words to describe what I feel towards you, Beansprout." Tyki was now standing right in front of Allen, his left hand behind him. "I wish you would drop dead."

Suddenly, there was a faint glint of something metallic and it took Allen a moment to feel the pain that was in his stomach. He looked down to see Tyki holding a knife that was now stabbed into him. Before he could react, Tyki withdrew the blade from his stomach and held it higher, ready to strike again.

Allen tried to think back to the training he had from Cross, but his mind was too far gone and the throbbing in his stomach was too much. Tyki stabbed Allen in the thigh, making the younger teen yell out in pain and drop to the wet ground. Allen laid on his side, but Tyki had other plans. With his foot, he kicked Allen so that he was lying on his back. Using his knife, he cut off Allen's right hoodie sleeve, exposing his almost healed cuts.

"Hmm, you're not a stranger when it comes to knives, are you?" Tyki purred, gently trailing the tip of the blade up and down Allen's wrist, not slicing the skin.

Allen merely groaned in response, making Tyki chuckle. "I'll take that as a no." he trailed the blade so it was resting at the crook of Allen's arm. With a grin, Tyki plunged the knife into Allen's flesh and dragged it downwards to his palm, making the younger boy scream in pain. Blood poured from his wound rapidly, quickly coating his arm in the deep crimson.

Tyki moved to his other arm, Allen was too numb to make any attempt to stop him from cutting off his other sleeve. Tyki stared at his red arm with disgust. He raised the knife, and Allen prepared himself for the stab. Unfortunately, he wasn't stabbed in the arm like he had thought; instead, Tyki brought the blade down onto Allen's other thigh. The twisted teen smiled at Allen's cries.

Standing up, Tyki stared down at the injured boy before him. He dug through his pockets, and to Allen's horror, withdrew a bottle of lighter fluid and a book of matches. "Now, what to do? What to do?"

"P..Please.. Don't." Allen managed to say, his voice strained from all the screaming he'd done.

"What's that? You want my mercy? You want me to stop?" Tyki waited for an answer. When he didn't receive one, he growled and kicked Allen in the ribs, making the young teen cry out again. "Well too bad. I'm not stopping. I'm going to do the world a favor and burn this monster to a crisp." Opening the lighter fluid, Tyki doused Allen's left arm in the cold liquid.

Allen was still too numb to move. He simply watched as Tyki poured the entire bottle on his arm, tossing the bottle away once its contents were emptied. Then, Tyki opened the matches and struck one, sparking a small flame. "P..please.." Allen begged.

"Fuck you Allen. Burn in hell." With that, Tyki dropped the match on Allen's arm and turned on his heel, leaving the now flaming teen alone.

Allen had burned himself in the past, what fifteen year old hasn't? But the difference with accidently burning yourself with a candle and being engulfed in flames is not only the excruciating pain, but the overwhelming heat. Allen wailed in agony as the flames burned through his deformed arm. His whole body shook as he attempted to roll in the snow, but it was useless. He was in so much pain that his body refused to listen to the simple command.

On top of being on fire, his wrist, stomach, and thigh were still leaking blood rapidly, making his head spin. _I'm going to die. _Allen though between screams. _I'm dead. I'm dead. _Black spots obstructed his vision. Through the spots, Allen could barely make out a golden streak rush away from him. "Tim.. Don't go.." Allen pleaded, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Soon, Allen couldn't feel anything. He didn't feel the dying fire on his arm, the stabs, or even the pounding he had in his head. He closed his eyes, accepting the darkness that surrounded him.

**[Note from the Author: Annnd another cliffhanger for you guys. Please don't kill me! You guys didn't think that Allen would have happiness that easy didja? ;P **

**Okay, the next chapter is probably going to be shorter than my other ones, so maybe I'll upload it before next Sunday? I hope so, I hate keeping you guys waiting too long. **

**Now that I FINALLY have some free time, I'm off to work on Chapter Thirteen before I get writer's block again! **

**Please review! You don't have to, but it'd be nice if you did. **

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001]**


	13. Chapter 13

**[Note from the Author: Hey friends! Guess what? I have reached the Critical Point of story reviews! Yay! 100+ reviews! Thank you everyone! I love you all! *blows kisses in all directions* Just because you all are so awesome, I made this chapter longer than it was originally going to be!**

**Guess what else? I have a Beta now! The amazing zamizu-me has agreed to be my mentor and teach me the ways of writing, seeing as I'm not that great with the technical stuff of grammar and such.. xD Thank you Zamizu!**

**Okay, for those of you who hated me for the terrible cliffhanger, my good friendsKlinxxVanity,NerdGirl196, and kishimoro are on your side. They have spent the past few days verbally abusing me as well as physically because of what I did to our favorite little Exorcist TT^TT I still have the bruises.. Especially my poor, poor boob.. u.u R.I.P Lefty..**

**Anywho, thanks for sticking with me this long and for reading Chapter Thirteen! You guys rock. And of course, thank you for the reviews and story alerts. They mean a lot to me.**

**Onward!**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it.**

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((Note from the Beta, Zamizu:_

_I haven't changed the writing very much. I mostly fixed the grammar (and spelling, on two occasions) and omitted unnecessary words. I could explain, but I won't. And I don't want you to take me the wrong way; it's not like animeobsessed001 is a bad writer desperately in need of a Beta. I am just helping her, I promise. ^^ Also, if this chapter seems kind of different in terms of style compared to the last one, that's probably my fault. I do think I improved it at least a little—which is not to say it was bad before I edited. It's just. . . . You know what? Never mind. XD And as a final note . . ._

_Haha, I got to read it before you did!_

_I'm a bastard, I know.))_

Chapter Thirteen

It's said that when someone is on the verge of death, they see their lives flash before their eyes. After closing his eyes, Allen was surrounded by black nothingness, and suddenly, he was back in his old home in England on a cold winter day. He stood in an old park surrounded by buildings and people. Snow gently fell from the sky, coating the ground. People bustled along with their daily lives, but he paid them no attention.

There was a small boy about the age of six or seven sitting alone by a dead tree. The boy had messy red hair tied up in the back of his head, wore ragged clothing, and was caked with dirt from head to toe. The look on the boy's face was heartbreaking. His cheeks were smeared with mud composed of dirt and tears, his grey eyes were puffy and red from crying, and his lip was trembling. Allen instantly recognized his younger self and walked over to him. He stood beside the boy and tried to reach out to pat his shoulder, but couldn't make contact. Allen sighed, stepping back as he continued to watch his younger self suffer.

The boy sat against the tree and was sniffling, drying his tears with his dirty sleeve. Just then, Allen recognized his surroundings and knew what day he it was. This was Christmas Day ten years ago. Just like Allen remembered, a tall, chubby clown with his face completely painted in makeup approached the young boy, juggling a dozen different colored balls. The clown wore baggy stripped pants, a white ruffled shirt with polka dots in various colors, yellow gloves, and giant sleek red shoes.

"Hey there little guy, why the long face?" the clown asked in an extra cheerful voice.

The boy sniffed. "Go away. I hate clowns."

"Aw, come on now, you can't mean that. Clowns are fun! See?" He juggled while walking in a circle before purposefully slipping on the ice and falling on his rear, the colored balls tumbling onto his head.

The boy didn't even crack a smile. He buried his face into his sleeve again, his shoulders shaking with sobs.

The clown got on his feet and stood over the crying boy. He eyed him with concern. "Are you okay little one? Where are your parents?"

"Don't have any. Never have." The young boy's voice was small and ragged.

"Oh dear," the clown replied as he sat down next to the small boy and wrapped one arm around the tiny body, making the child flinch from the contact. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." He waited until the boy relaxed beneath his arm before he continued. "Now, tell me, what's wrong?"

The boy's sobs returned at the clown's question. He buried his face into his sleeve again and continued to cry. The clown waited patiently for the boy to speak and even rubbed his back encouragingly. Finally, the child spoke.

"Th…that lady called me a m...monster. Sh...she said I would do the entire w...world a favor if I d...died." The boy sniffed before continuing. "E...Everyone in this town agrees. . . . They all hate me. . . ."

"Why? That's terrible!" the clown said, hugging the boy tighter.

"Let me go. You will hate me, too. . . . Everyone does."

"What? Why would I hate you? You're a good boy, I can tell."

The child scoffed. "I'm not. I'm a monster."

"I don't believe that. Not at all."

The small boy broke away from the clown's grasp and stood up to face him. His tiny legs shook as he stood as a result to the cold as well as lack of nutrition. The boy pulled up his left sleeve to show a green oven mitt that he ripped off, revealing a red deformed hand and black fingernails. "See? I'm a monster!" He thrust his hand forward into the clown's face, waiting for the inevitable reaction of disgust and scorn he had grown accustomed to. But it never came.

Instead of being disturbed or disgusted, the clown took the small child's hand into his own and studied it intently, shocking the boy. With gloved hands, the clown traced his fingers along the rough skin and gently petted the green cross that was embedded on the back of the hand.

The child snatched his hand away, shock evident on his face. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"I was simply looking at your hand. That's why you are called a monster? People are so shallow," the clown said, shaking his head.

"Y...You're weird," the boy mumbled.

"Ah yes, that I am. Do you have a name?"

"No. I'm called Red."

"Hmm, that won't do. Would you like a real name? I could give you one if you would like."

The boy shrugged.

The clown sat against the tree and placed his hand on his chin, rubbing it as he thought aloud. "Let's see. . . . Peter? Nah, it wouldn't fit you. . . . John? No, too overused. Hmm. . . ." The clown continued to mutter as he pondered. "Aha!" the clown exclaimed, making the boy jump. The clown rose to his feet and pointed down at the young child. "Allen! Your new name is Allen. Yes, I think it fits you well. What do you think?"

The boy remained silent. Instead, he picked up his green oven mitt and replaced it on his left hand. The clown waited patiently, but the boy gave no sign of acknowledgement.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked again.

"I don't want it. I don't want a first name without a last name," he said.

"Hmm . . ." the clown trailed off. He looked at the boy and rubbed his chin again, pondering once more. Suddenly, his face lit up and he snapped his fingers as he reached a solution. "What about Allen Walker? How's that?"

The boy shook his head. "No. I'm not a Walker."

"You could be."

The boy looked at the clown with a shocked face. "What?"

"You could be a Walker. If you want."

"How?"

"You could be my son."

When the boy stared at him in confusion, the clown held up a finger, signaling the child to wait. The clown made his way to a tall snow bank and scooped up a large amount of the white substance in his hands before bringing it to his face. He used his hands to scrub quickly, the makeup from his face mixed with the snow melted snow dripping through his fingers, staining the pure white as it fell his feet. After repeating the action a few more times, he reached to the back of his head and pulled off the bald cap he was wearing, showing short brown hair. He removed his shirt and pants, revealing that he wasn't actually chubby, but a slim man. Beneath his costume, he wore simple black pants and a white long sleeved shirt. He shook off his giant shoes, donning black dress shoes beneath. Finally, he removed his gloves and wrapped them up in his costume, then tossed the bundle aside by the tree. When he turned back to face the child, he was hardly recognizable.

The man approached the boy and got on one knee, bringing himself at eye level with the child. He held out a hand and grinned. "Hello. My name is Mana Walker. What is your name?"

The boy stared at the man's hand in bewilderment. He studied Mana's face, searching for any sign of trickery. When he sensed none, he timidly raised his right hand and took hold of Mana's. "A…Allen Walker," he said as he shook hands.

Mana's grin widened. "It's good to meet you, son."

In the present time, Allen's heart swelled as he watched the memory play out before him. This was one of his favorite memories, the day that Mana had saved him. All of a sudden, the world around Allen began to ripple, making the scene before him blur. It was similar to when someone dropped a pebble into a puddle, disturbing the calm water.

A voice filled Allen's head, but he couldn't figure out whose voice it was. He searched around him, seeing nothing but the rippling world.

"ALLEN! OH MY GOD, ALLEN! FUCK!"

Allen swiveled his head around again, searching for the speaker, but didn't see anyone. The world around him slowly came back into focus, and Allen's eyes widened when he saw his surroundings had changed. He was no longer in the park, but in a small, brightly lit room. The room was warm and comforting, making Allen sigh from nostalgia. This was Mana's piano room. When a child's groan filled his ear, he turned around to see Mana sitting at an old piano with the younger him. Unlike the last time, Allen caught a glimpse of his younger self; he was now dressed in warm clothes and his hand wasn't concealed by the old mitt. His medium length red hair was groomed nicely, dangling at his shoulders, and he was also older by about a year or two. Although he was grumbling with frustration, Allen knew that the young boy was happy.

"Mana! I'm never going to get this!" the boy whined, pressing his forehead against the keys of the piano, making a sound erupt from the instrument.

"You just need practice, Allen; that's all. Now watch again," Mana said, positioning his hands on the keys. The familiar lullaby filled the small room and Allen gasped at the sound. The music sounded nice when he played it back home, but when Mana played it, it was breathtaking. His father's low voice sang the lyrics softly, adding to the effect. When Mana reached the instrumental part of the song, he turned to the boy beside him and smiled. "Sing with me, Allen."

The boy complied, joining his father in the song. For such a small boy, his voice was amazing. It rang throughout Allen's ears in a pleasant way, making him smile. He swayed as he listened to the melody, watching as Mana stared down lovingly at the boy beside him. When the song came to a close, Mana ruffled the child's hair.

"Great job, Allen. You have the singing down; now let's try the piano one last time, and then we'll call it a night. Deal?"

"Okay, Mana." The child cracked his knuckles, starting to play. His fingers would occasionally brush against the wrong key, and he skipped a number of notes, but he played until the end. Mana supported him by singing along softly, just as he always did.

"Great effort. We will try again tomorrow."

"That sucked!" the young boy exclaimed. "I just can't do it Mana! It's too hard!"

"You'll get it soon; it just takes practice. You're too hard on yourself, Allen."

"I should be able to get this right!" The boy hit his head against the keys once again.

Mana laid a gentle hand on the aggravated boy's back. "Now-now, Allen. I already told you that you just need a little more practice. I promise one day you'll get it. It's a difficult song to learn and you're still young. You'll get it."

The child sighed and nodded. Mana stood to leave the room. When his son didn't follow, he looked back.

"I want to try again. I'll be in bed soon," the boy said.

"Okay, Allen. Goodnight." Then Mana turned and walked out of the room.

After his father left, the boy focused on the keys in front of him. He cracked his knuckles once again and played the song. He still missed the same notes as before, angering him. With a growl, he pressed his small fingertips to the white keys and played the tune once more.

Allen watched the boy fondly as he struggled to perfect his technique. He walked to the piano and sat next to his younger self. From where he sat, he watched as the boy chewed his lip as he played—something Allen still did when he was frustrated with his performance.

After a number more of grunts and curses, the young boy finally managed to play all the correct notes, but he still brushed his fingers awkwardly across the white surface. He played the song once more, and this time, he played it perfectly. He jumped up, throwing his hands in the air.

"Congratulations, Allen. You did it."

Both Allens turned to see Mana in the doorway, smiling at his son's accomplishment.

"I did it, Mana! I did it!" the child exclaimed as he tackled his father.

Mana ruffled the boy's hair. "I heard. I'm proud of you, son."

"Does that mean I can play shows and earn money like you said?" the boy asked, his voice hopeful.

Mana chuckled and wrapped the child into a gentle embrace. "Soon."

Allen felt tears well in the corner of his eyes as his younger self cheered. He knew that he wasn't the easiest child to deal with. He was selfish, short tempered, and stubborn as hell, but Mana had loved him nonetheless.

Once again, the world around Allen wavered, dulling the heartwarming scene before him. Just like the last time, he heard speaking. This time, there were multiple voices.

"He needs a transfusion."

"What blood type is he?"

"O! Type O!"

"Are you sure?"

"He's my best friend for God's sake! Of course I'm sure!"

The last voice was so familiar. Allen knew that whoever was speaking was someone close to him by the way his heart ached. The name of the person was on the tip of his tongue. He could almost place his finger on the identity of the speaker, but before he could remember, his surroundings changed again.

Allen was now standing in a dark alleyway. Rain poured harshly from the sky, drenching everything around him, but he somehow managed to stay dry. There were two dumpsters on each side of the narrow alley, and trash was sprawled across the wet ground. Allen felt a lump form in his throat as he remembered where he was. As he came to his realization, a tall man was sprinting, yanking a small boy as he ran.

"Allen, listen, I need you to call me Neah," Mana panted as he ushered the boy into the alley.

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Now what are you going to call me?"

"Neah?"

"Correct. Now listen, some people are following us and will be here in a minute. Don't be afraid. Will you be brave for me?"

"Yes," the boy replied.

"Yes who?"

"Yes, Neah."

"Good boy." Mana gripped his son's hand. "No matter what happens tonight, I want you to keep walking forward. Do you understand, Allen? Always keep walking and never stop."

"Yes, Neah," the child repeated.

Mana smiled before he kneeled down and wrapped his arms around the boy. "I love you," he whispered into the boy's ear.

"Aww, isn't that touching?" a mocking voice said from the opening of the alleyway, making the two turn their heads.

The speaker was accompanied by two other people. The man on the speaker's right was tall, about six feet, and was very muscular, too. His face was dark and emotionless; his dark eyes also deprived of emotion. Brown, wavy hair outlined his face. He looked like he was ready to kill someone.

The woman to the left was shorter than her two male companions, but that didn't make her look any less intimidating. She sauntered beside her comrades, and with every sway of her hip, a glint of a blade could be seen. Blonde pigtails hung from her head, completely soaked from the rain, and her blue eyes shone menacingly.

The leader of the small group was a medium sized man. He didn't look particularly threatening, but looks could be deceiving. He had spiky black hair and piercing green eyes. On the bridge of his nose was a scar that ran horizontally from one cheek to the other, probably a battle scar.

Each member of the group wore black clothing with red star tattoos on their throats. As they walked closer, the boy became more nervous and hid behind his father, eyeing the strangers.

"Now, Neah, have you finally decided to stop running from me?" the shorter man asked.

"Yes," Mana replied with no hesitation.

"N…Neah?" the boy asked.

"Yes, nephew?"

"Wh…Who are they?"

"Oh, how adorable. Can we keep the little one when we're done?" the woman asked.

"Not now, Eliade. I'm finally having a conversation with Neah Walker, the one who turned me in to the police. I'd like to finish before we discuss what to do with the squirt."

Eliade sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouted her full lips. "Yes, Alma."

"Damn right. Now, back to the matter at hand. It's been awhile, hasn't it Neah?" he asked, glaring at Mana.

"Yes, it has. Five years, was it?"

In a low voice, Alma said, "Yes. Five very long years. Five years of hell thanks to you."

"Hell?" Mana asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, hell! Thanks to a certain rat, I've spent the last four and a half years in prison! You were a part of this gang once, too! How could you sell us out so easily?"

Mana remained silent as Alma cursed at him. Instead of watching the small gang, he was worried about the boy hiding behind him. This was his fatal mistake.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Alma yelled as he yanked out a gun from his back pocket and pulled the trigger, making Mana fall as he clutched the fresh wound on his thigh.

"No!" the boy cried as he reached out for his father, but was yanked back by Eliade.

"Come on cutie, you and me are gonna watch as your uncle pays for what he did. It'll be fun~!" Eliade said as she hugged the boy.

"Marc, let's teach him a lesson about what happens when someone messes with the Akuma," Alma said to the tall man as he tossed his gun onto the floor, almost dismissing the weapon.

Marc nodded back and walked towards Mana, pulling out a pair of brass knuckles and placing them on his hands as he inched closer to his victim. "Ya ready for this, Neah?" he asked with a smirk.

Mana gave no answer. He simply took a deep breath and closed his eyes, preparing himself for what was coming.

The beating that Mana took was brutal. Allen hadn't seen the entire thing as a child because he was looking away, but now he watched the entire thing. He winced at every hit Mana received and was crying after a short time. Every blow, every crunch and snap of a bone, and every bruise that Mana endured hurt Allen as if he had been taking the hits as well.

Marc lifted a bruised and bloodied Mana off the wet ground by his shirt and glared at him. "This has been fun, but now Alma has something in store for ya," he said as he raised his fist, brass knuckles glinting in the darkness, and punched Mana in the jaw with so much force everyone could hear the loud _SNAP!_

"NOO!" the child wailed as he fought against the female Akuma's hold. He struggled harder as his father's limp body was dropped on the ground with a sickening _thud_. "NO! NO! NOO!"

"Be silent, baby," Eliade whispered into the child's ear as she dug her nails deep into his shoulders. "This is the best part. Are you ready for this?"

"NOOO!"

"Shut that fucking brat up, Eliade! He's giving me a headache!" Alma yelled.

"Sorry, Alma," Eliade replied before wrapping one of her arms around the crying child's neck and clamping her other over his mouth to silence his screams.

The boy wailed into the hand that covered his mouth and scratched frantically at the arm around his neck, desperately trying to get away. He bit the woman's hand hard enough to make her palm bleed; her thick blood ran down his chin, staining his shirt underneath. She giggled at the poor boy's tireless struggles.

"Now-now, baby, calm down. Just watch," she coaxed into his ear.

The boy watched in horror as his father was kicked so that he was lying on his back, and Alma kneeled onto his chest with one knee, glaring at the man beneath him, eyes glazed with rage.

"Every fucking day I spent in that hell hole I thought of a new way to kill you," Alma sneered as he pulled out a blade from his back pocket. "Every day I thought of how I'd love nothing more than to slice you up piece by piece," he whispered as he plunged the knife into Mana's chest, making the man yell in pain. Alma smiled at his reaction and withdrew the blade, only to stab him again into his left side, twisting the weapon while inside his victim.

After twisting the blade around in a complete circle twice, he yanked out the knife once again and repeatedly stabbed Mana's chest again and again. With each plunge of the knife a scream erupted from Mana's throat, making his son fight once more. Alma turned and smiled at the sobbing boy. "I think I've scared him enough. What do you think, Eliade?"

"I think it's time to end this," she replied.

"Good call," Alma said with a smile as he picked up his gun that he had abandoned awhile ago. He held the gun in his hand and held it up so Mana could see it. "Okay, Neah, this is where our fun comes to an end. You were fun to play with. I'm almost sad to see you go." He shoved the gun into Mana's mouth and cocked it. "Nighty night, uncle."

_BANG!_

After shooting Mana, Alma removed his gun from his victim's mouth, wiped it clean on the dead man's jacket, and then stood up as he pocketed his weapon.

The boy dropped to his knees; his cries turned to wails. Eliade released her grasp on him and allowed the poor child to crawl to his fallen father. "M…Mana… No... No... Mana..." he cried.

"Alma, did he just say 'Mana'?" Marc asked.

"Mana? As in Neah's brother Mana?" Eliade put in.

Alma yelled, "Mana? Fuck, did we just kill the wrong guy?" He turned and glared at the child who was now at his father's side, shaking him, trying to wake him up.

"M…Mana... Y...You ha...have t...to wake up... M...Mana..." he choked. "C...Come on. . . . Y...You said th…that we were g...gonna p...put on a sh...show t...tomorrow. . . . P...Please w...wake up. . . ."

"God, kid, shut the hell up. You're royally pissing me off," Alma snapped.

"D...Daddy. . . ."

"I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP, KID!" Alma barked before he delivered a harsh kick to the boy's side, making him cry out. "Why did you call him Neah? Huh, kid? Now because of you, I'm SCREWED!" he shouted, kicking the child once again. He stomped away, running his hand through his hair tensely as he began to pace. "Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck. . . ." he mumbled.

"What are we gonna do, Alma?" Marc asked.

"Like I know!" Alma growled.

"If Mana's the one dead, that means Neah's still alive," Eliade pointed out.

"No duh! God, you're such a blonde!" Alma yelled. Suddenly, he paused his pacing. "You know, you're right. And since he's still alive, it means that he'll be looking for his precious nephew . . ." he trailed off as he laid his eyes on the sobbing boy, an evil smile playing at his lips.

Without any warning to the poor kid, he was yanked up by the back of his shirt and tossed on top of one of the nearby dumpsters. "Marc, hold him down," Alma commanded as he withdrew the blade he used against the kid's father minutes ago from his pocket.

"What are you planning?" Marc asked as he held the boy's hands above his head with one hand and held his ankles with another.

"If Neah is going to see his nephew again, he should know that we've become acquainted," Alma said with a smile. He brushed the kid's hair—his roots were now white—out of his face and grinned at his newest victim, forcefully pressing his hand against his mouth both to silence him and to keep his head still. "Don't worry, kid, this is only gonna hurt like hell."

He brought down the blade and carved something into the boy's forehead immediately above his left eyebrow. The child screamed in agony, but was muffled by Alma's hand. Alma grinned as he continued the knife's trail down over his eye to his cheekbone before raking it to the left and tracing down right above his jaw line.

Allen finally tore his gaze away from the scene. He brought his hand up and traced along the scar that had stayed on his face years after, officially marking him as property of England's most terrifying gang —The Akuma. He didn't need the memory playing before his eyes to remember the horrible pain that he felt that night. It was impossible, especially when the memory plagued his dreams.

The sounds of his younger self's screams faded out as the world around him was shifting. He finally looked up from his shoes and sighed. He didn't want to see another painful memory. Lord knows he had too many. Instead of another memory playing out in front of him, voices rang throughout his head just like before.

"He's slipping away on us!"

"What? What do you mean he's slipping away?" that familiar voice asked.

"He's lost too much blood. Even with the transfusion he's shutting down."

"What? No! Allen! C'mon little buddy! You can make it through this! Wake up!"

"Stop yelling, he can't hear you."

Once again, the familiar voice that Allen recognized played through the conversation. It was starting to irritate him that he couldn't place whose voice it was. He pondered who it could be as the area around him began to take form. Fearing the worst, Allen took a deep breath and looked around his new surroundings.

To Allen's surprise, he wasn't back in England where Cross had found him, or in the hospital that he was treated in after he was attacked, or even in the motel in which he had tried to commit suicide. In fact, he was in America. He was standing in a brightly lit room with dozens of teenagers. They all sat at desks and chatted away to their neighbors until the teacher called their attention.

Her voice boomed, "Listen up, class! We have a new student today. His name is Allen Walker. He's only in seventh grade, but his grades are astounding, so he will be taking tenth grade English along with you." She turned to her immediate right and gestured for the teen beside her to step forward. As he did, she continued to talk. "He just moved here from England. I'd like you all to welcome him with open arms."

The teen that stood beside her looked terrified. His white hair was covering his face, mostly the left side, and he rocked back and forth slightly, uncomfortable under the stares of his new classmates.

"All right, Allen, how about you sit next to Lavi? He's right over there. Wave your hand please, Lavi."

A red-head sitting in the back row of desks waved his hand around like an idiot. The white-haired teen in the front of the room groaned softly, but made his way over to his new desk. Once he was situated in his seat, he glanced over at his new neighbor.

"Hey there," the red-head said with a bright smile. "I'm Lavi. How's it?" He held out his hand to shake, but the white-haired boy only stared at his face. His hair was crimson red and everywhere, looking as if it hadn't seen a comb in the past day or so. He wore a peculiar-looking eye patch over his right eye, while his left uncovered eye shone like a beautiful emerald. He was very handsome. But his smile seemed . . . off. It looked forced.

"Don't smile at me unless you mean it," the white-headed boy said.

Lavi dropped the smile and stared at the new kid incredulously. "Y…You knew that was a fake smile? How can you tell?"

"I dunno. I just can."

"Hmm . . ." Lavi trailed off and examined the teen beside him. Suddenly, he smiled again. A genuine smile. "Ya'know somethin', British kid? I like you."

"Uhh. . . ."

"And by the way, your accent is totally adorable!" Lavi exclaimed as he wrapped his new friend into a playful headlock, making the teen in his arm tense beneath the contact.

"P...Please don't touch me," the white-hair boy said quietly.

"Huh? Why not?"

"B...because I don't l...like to be touched. . . ."

"Psh, you aren't one of them germ-o-phobes are ya? 'Cause if you are, I'm gonna have to tease ya for the rest of your life."

"No! I'm not afraid of germs!"

"Good, then we're fine and I can still touch you," Lavi said triumphantly.

The white-haired teen sighed. "Fine, I suppose," he mumbled.

"Yay!" Lavi exclaimed as he threw his other arm around the boy and tackled him off their chairs and onto the ground. As they landed on the floor, Lavi lay on top of his newest companion, smiling. "I got a new best friend!" he yelled.

Allen smirked at the memory. Lavi had always been clingy, even from the beginning. His first day of seventh grade had been one of the most terrifying days of his life, but Lavi had made it all worth the fear. He shared half of his classes and they were instantly friends. Allen guessed that it was about a year later when he fell in love with Lavi. "Lavi. . . ." Allen mumbled to himself.

"Allen? Allen? Are you awake?" the voice that had been so familiar spoke in his head once more. This time, Allen was able to place the speaker. It was Lavi. Of course it was Lavi, why hadn't he recognized it before? Allen had expected to hear Lavi's voice once again, but was shocked at the next few words he heard.

"I want you to keep walking forward. Always keep walking and never stop." Mana's voice brought tears of love to Allen's eyes. "I love you, son. Wake up."

Allen nodded his head and was somehow able to command himself to open his eyes, bringing him back to reality.

His eyes fluttered open only to be blinded by a bright white light. He snapped his eyes shut again, and the image burned into his retinas. Tentatively, he cracked his eyes open again. He looked around, allowing his eyes to adjust in the brightly lit place, trying to figure out where he was. Once he could see, he looked around to see white walls with a few small chairs along them, a big window next to where he was lying, and an assortment of machines surrounded the bed he was in. The bed was uncomfortable as hell, and it had bars on the sides of it. He tried to reach out to touch one of bars, but he couldn't move his arm. He gasped when his eyes trailed to his arm, seeing the bandages all along them. There were more on his other arm, but they only wrapped along the length of his wrist. There was an IV drip on his right hand. _I'm in . . . the hospital? _

As he reached his realization, a horrible pain throbbed in his stomach, making him wince. _What the hell happened? Why am I here? _Looking at his wrist, he racked his brain, willing himself to remember what happened. When he still couldn't figure it out, he screamed, his throat burning for some reason and his head pounding.

The door burst open, and a blond doctor rushed in. "Allen, are you all right?"

"No! What's going on! How did I get here!"

"Calm down, Allen. You were brought in on Saturday. Your right wrist was sliced open, your left arm suffered from horrible burns, and you had multiple stab wounds. The wound on your wrist caused the other cuts to reopen. On top of that, the stab wounds you received bled a lot. You lost massive amounts of blood, so you received a blood transfusion." As the doctor continued to ramble on about Allen's condition, Allen was hit with the memories of what happened.

He remembered leaving the party, getting lost, and then running into Tyki. In the back of his mind, he could hear himself screaming, could still feel the flames ablaze on his arm, burning the flesh beneath. Gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut, he willed himself not to cry in front of the doctor.

"Allen? Are you alright? Are you in pain?"

Allen scoffed. "Why? So you can put me on pain meds that make me loopy?"

"Th-that's not what I meant!"

"Sure, whatever. When do I get out of here?" Allen felt slightly bad for being such a jerk to the doctor who was helping him, but he was in a terrible mood as well as in pain.

"Not for awhile. Your guardian has come to talk to you, though; he's waiting outside the room as we speak."

"Great," Allen muttered. Not only was his mood foul and his body hurt like no other, now he was going to have to put up with Cross's crap. _This day just keeps getting better and better._

The doctor did a quick check of Allen's IV and bandages before he turned around to the door. As he opened it, Allen heard a voice he wasn't expecting.

The voice said, "Thank you, Doctor."

"It's nothing. He seems to be in a bad mood at the moment. I don't really blame him after what he went through. Try not to aggravate him in any way."

"Of course, Doctor." The mysterious speaker stepped through the door, closing it behind him. He faced Allen and gave him a warm smile. "Hello, Allen."

Allen stared at the man before him, his mouth agape. There was no way that this was real. No, no way. Allen blinked his eyes repeatedly, determined to wake up from the dream he was having. When Allen finally accepted that he wasn't dreaming and that the figure staring at him was real, tears swelled in his eyes.

"U…Uncle Neah?"

**[Note from the Author: Hey everyone!**

**Yay I didn't kill Allen! Hehehe, I considered it though. In the end, I decided I wouldn't kill him because then he wouldn't be able to endure what I have in store for him next. *chuckles evilly* Ah, I'm so mean.**

**I tried to keep Mana in character, but I think I failed epicly Dx So sorry if Mana is OOC. I tried. Really, I did. I haven't watched the anime so the material in the flashbacks are based on what I've seen in the manga, so if anything is different, that's why. Speaking of OOCness, sorry about the Akuma. I know that they're really OOC, but I wanted the Akuma to make an appearance somehow.**

**Next chapter will be interesting. Now that Neah has made an appearance, Allen's world goes out of whack. Keep reading to see what I mean ;D Stay tuned!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((From Zamizu:_

_Yes, and I think I'll be betaing the next chapter, too, which means I get to read it before you do again. HA, TAKE THAT!_

_Sorry, I'll try not to be such a bastard from here on in._

_But yeah, stay tuned!))_


	14. Chapter 14

**[Note from the Author: Hey there friends! Thanks for reading Chapter Fourteen! You guys really are the best readers a writer like me could ask for. Thank you bunches and bunches!**

**As usual, thank you everyone who left me a review and for those of you who added my story to their story alert list. As I always say, you guys rock. Also, I'm glad you guys like Neah as much as I do! He's really amazing and I love him ^w^ He's my second favorite DGM character after Lavi.**

**Last thing, thanks to the awesome **zamizu-me **who has been the best Beta anyone could ask for. Seriously, he really is amazing =D Without him, my writing wouldn't have gotten any better. Talking to him for a few weeks has improved my skills more than a whole year in English has. Don't believe me? Look back at Chapter One and you'll see so many grammatical errors it's not even funny! Well, maybe that's just me xD Anywho, thanks Zamizu! You rock!**

**Alright, moving on, here's Chapter Fourteen!**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I'm not making any sort of profit off it.**

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((Note from the Beta:_

_Honestly, there hasn't been a whole lot of incorrect grammar here recently; it's mostly been things commonly overlooked. I still don't want you guys to think that she desperately needs teaching—wait, did I say this in the last chapter? ^^; No matter, I liked editing this chapter, and I think you'll all love it. Especially the scene with Timcanpy. That was my favorite part. (You'll see.)_

_Enjoy~_

—_Zamizu))_

Chapter Fourteen

"U. . .Uncle Neah?" Allen asked in disbelief.

Neah smiled at him as he approached his nephew's bed. He reached out and brushed a few stray white locks out of the Allen's face. "Yes, Allen, it's me."

Allen tried to reach for his uncle's hand, but he still couldn't move either of his arms. "Uncle Neah, what are you doing here?"

"We'll talk about that later. For now, you have some friends who have been waiting to see you for the past two days."

"Two days? How long have I been here?" Allen almost shouted.

"Shh. Calm down." When Allen nodded in agreement, he continued, "You were brought in the early hours of Saturday. That was Christmas day. Today is Wednesday the twenty-ninth."

Allen gaped at him. "I've been in the hospital for four days?"

Neah nodded. "Yes. I arrived on Monday. The doctors informed me that you've been asleep and have hardly stirred for the duration of your stay." Neah smiled warmly at his nephew once more before he removed his hand from Allen's soft hair and walked to the door. "Your friends here have been waiting to see you. I'm going to let them in now." He opened the door and gestured whoever was in the hall into the room.

Lenalee rushed into the room and ran to Allen's bedside. "Allen! Thank God you're awake. Are you alright? Are you in pain? Oh, my poor, poor, precious beansprout!"

Allen winced at his friend's loud voice. He loved Lenalee to death, but sometimes that girl was too loud for her own good. "Can you keep your voice down, Lenalee?" Allen asked.

Lenalee's hands shot to her face. She whispered, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. You must have a terrible headache. I'm sorry, Allen."

"It's all right. How are you?"

Lenalee shook her head. "Really, Allen? You're the one in the hospital and you're asking how I am? Maybe Lavi was right all along; maybe there is something wrong with you."

At the mention of Lavi's name, Allen's heart sped up. "Speaking of Lavi, where is he?"

Lenalee's face darkened. "Well. . . . Um, how do I say it?"

"That baka usagi got himself arrested," Kanda said bluntly from the doorway of the hospital room.

"Wh. . . what?" Allen asked.

"You heard me. That retarded rabbit got arrested."

"How? Why? When?" Allen shouted, ignoring the intense pounding in his head as he did.

Quietly, Lenalee said, "He was arrested for assault Monday night."

"Assault? Against who?" Allen asked, still not believing what he was hearing.

"Tyki Mikk," Kanda replied simply.

"A . . . Are you serious? He assaulted Tyki? Why?"

Lenalee and Kanda glanced at one another, silently asking each other if they should tell Allen. In the end, Lenalee took a deep breath and spoke. "At the party, Lavi noticed you went missing. He started looking for you, but found Timcanpy instead. Tim looked distressed so Lavi followed him and found you. I didn't see what you looked like before you came to the hospital, but it must have been pretty bad because Lavi was out of it for the longest time. When we came to see you on Sunday, he was really stressed and looked like he hadn't slept. He refused to leave your room, saying he couldn't let you wake up alone. Then on Monday he met your uncle," Lenalee said as she gestured to Neah before she continued: "Once they were acquainted, Lavi finally went home for the first time since the party. When he got home, something happened. The next thing I know, Kanda called me and said that Lavi had beaten Tyki up really bad and was being taken away by the cops."

Allen was stunned. There was no way that Lavi had assaulted Tyki. _I must be dreaming._

"It's true, Moyashi," Kanda said, sensing his disbelief.

"H . . . How long is he going to be in jail?"

"Fifteen days. He was charged with third degree assault. He has to serve fifteen days of jail time and pay a fine of five hundred dollars."

"Really?"

Lenalee and Kanda nodded in unison.

"Does anyone know why he assaulted Tyki?"

Kanda said, "No, but it must have been about something big if he lost his nerve like that."

Lenalee and Allen nodded their agreement. Lavi may be hot-headed and crazy, but for the most part, he had great self control. There have only been three cases where Lavi's resolve broke and beat someone up. Two of those times were for Allen's sake, when Lavi had beaten up Tyki at the party, and Devit and Jasdero in the Calculus room. The other was when Daisya Barry had tried to take his eye patch. Even those fights hadn't been too serious because in the end, Lavi had kept his cool. Tyki really must have pissed Lavi off to make the lovable red-head beat him up bad enough to get arrested.

"Anyone have a guess about what happened?" Allen asked. "I mean, what could have happened on Saturday or Sunday that would have made him mad?"

Lenalee said, "I don't know. For all we know, maybe Tyki just said something wrong and he snapped. Like I said, he was a mess before he left the hospital."

Neah added, "No, I don't think that is the case." The three teenagers turned their attention to him. "I don't believe it was something as simple as Tyki said something to upset him. When Lavi left, he looked like he was ready to murder someone. Had I known he was going to act on his emotions, I would have stopped him and tried to talk him out of it."

Allen smiled inwardly at his uncle's words. Even though Neah had been in a gang eight years ago, he really was a nice man. You couldn't even tell that he was the second in command to the Akuma until he told you himself. Neah was kind and gentle, just like his older brother Mana. The only sign that Neah had that gave away his secret was the faded scar in the shape of a star on his neck where he once donned a red tattoo. Once he reported the leader of the gang for dealing drugs, he fled and burned the tattoo off. Now all that remained of his old life was a scar.

Now that Allen's head was clear, he began to take in his uncle's appearance. Although he was not far away from turning thirty, he didn't look it. He looked more like he was in his early twenties. His black, unruly hair was styled in an appealing way. He wore a tan trench coat on top of a white dress shirt with a red ribbon tied around his neck. All in all, he was a very handsome man.

Neah said, "I'm sorry that I couldn't help your friend. I feel terrible." He sighed.

Lenalee contributed, "It wasn't your fault, Neah." She smiled "Besides, I'm sure that Tyki deserved every minute of his beating."

"Even so, now Lavi will have a criminal record that will follow him wherever he goes. It may only be a third degree assault charge, but even that could stop him from getting where he wants to be in life."

Allen felt bad for his uncle. He knew that Neah was speaking from personal knowledge. Of course, Neah had more stacked on him than a third degree assault, but in the end he felt Lavi's pain. Allen's heart ached for his uncle and his best friend.

Just then, the blond doctor from before walked into the room. "Alright, everyone, I think it would be good if Allen got some rest. You can talk to him later after his rest. Neah, you can stay because you're family."

"Yes, Doctor Reever," Lenalee said. She gave Allen a quick peck on the cheek and smiled. "We'll be back to visit really soon, Allen. Rest well." With that said, she turned around and joined Kanda in the doorway before walking out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Doctor Reever smiled at Allen as he approached him. "Hey, Allen. Feeling any better?"

"Honestly, no. I feel like crap. But I'm sorry for being a jerk earlier."

"You're fine. I've had patients treat me worse. Now, are you in pain and need another dose of meds?"

"If you wouldn't mind. . . ."

"Not at all. Can you point to where it hurts?"

"I would, but I can't move my arms," Allen said.

"Oh. Well, what hurts then?"

"My stomach, my head, my legs, and my left hand."

"Hmm, okay. I'll give you another dose and later we'll take a look at your arm." Reever picked up a syringe and pressed some clear liquid into the IV attached to Allen. "This will probably knock you out, just a forewarning."

"Th . . . thanks," Allen said, already feeling the effects of the drug.

Reever removed the needle and walked over to Neah. "He will probably be ready for travel within the next few days. I'll have a better estimate for you by tomorrow."

"Thank you, Doctor," Neah replied.

"No problem." Leaving the room, he said, "I'll be back when he wakes up."

"Ready for travel? Wh . . . where am I going?" Allen asked, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"I'll tell you when you wake up. We have to discuss something later. Until then, sleep well, my nephew."

Allen nodded as he closed his eyes, falling asleep peacefully knowing that his uncle was by his side.

*Later*

When Allen woke up, it was dark outside. The moonlight shone into the room from the large window to his immediate right, dimly lighting the room. Allen scanned around, searching for any signs of life. He spotted Neah sitting in one of the chairs that lined the wall to the left of the bed, snoring softly. At the sight of his uncle, Allen couldn't help but sigh in relief. It really hadn't been a dream. Neah was there with him. But his happiness didn't last long.

If earlier that day hadn't been a dream, then that also meant that Lavi had been arrested. He had assaulted Tyki. Tears streamed down Allen's cheeks, and he wished he could move his arms so he could at least cover his face, but it was an impossible task. Instead, he made himself silent so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping Neah.

Suddenly, something started moving around in the room. At first, Allen thought that he was delusional from sleep or the drugs, but when he saw it again, he almost panicked. He was about to freak out when a streak of gold zoomed across his vision and landed on his thigh, making him jump in surprise.

"T-Tim?"

At the mention of his name, Timcanpy fluttered his wings happily. He flew up to Allen's face and nuzzled against his pale flesh, comforting his master.

Allen whispered, "Oh, Tim. Thank you. I owe you my life, little guy."

Timcanpy backed away from Allen and landed on his thigh again and shook his tiny head. When Allen cocked his head to the side in confusion, Timcanpy stiffened his body, making Allen think that something was wrong.

Just then, a sphere projection was displayed before him. In the projection, Allen could see a stressed out Lavi. His hair was a mess, his single eye was dull and had dark bags beneath it, and his clothes were in disarray. He ran his hand through his hair and shook his head before he started speaking.

"Ya gettin' this little guy?" Lavi asked, making Allen realize that this was what Lavi had meant when Timcanpy could record things when he first got him. A small noise of approval came from Timcanpy in the projection and Lavi continued.

"H-hey there, Allen. Um, I told Tim here to show ya this when you wake up." He ran his hands through his hair once more and exhaled deeply. "Where to begin? I'm guessing that you're pretty confused about what's going on right about now. I mean, you just woke up in a hospital, I assume you've seen your uncle already, and you probably don't know everything that's going on. Well, I'm gonna explain what I can to ya. So, I'm just gonna start with what happened on Christmas."

Lavi took another deep breath before he started his side of what happened. "At the Christmas Bash, I was coming back downstairs with your presents, but I didn't see you. I looked around for a good fifteen minutes before I started to worry. I was asking everyone if they'd seen you. Finally, someone told me that you had walked out of the front door for whatever reason. I ran outside and saw Tim. He was freaking out, like, majorly. I followed him to the old neighborhood and found you lying on the ground, close to death."

The red-head paused as he rubbed his eye and tried to calm his shaky breaths. Then he went on, "When I approached you, I honestly thought you were dead. I called the ambulance right away and stayed by your side until they came. When the doctors finally arrived, they had to give you a blood transfusion right away. After that, you were slowly shutting down. God, I've never been so scared in my life. . . ."

Allen felt bad for what he had put Lavi through. Once again, he made his friend find him in a terrible, bloodied state.

"When they were able to stabilize you," Lavi continued, "they took you to the hospital and started treating your arms, legs, and stomach. I sat in the waiting room the whole time. Heh, I even pissed off a couple male nurses while I waited."

Allen rolled his eyes at his friend. Even when he was in a terrible state of shock, he still managed to get under people's skin.

"When the doctors finally said I could see you, they said that you would probably be sleeping for a few days because of all the meds they put you on, as well as your injuries. When I went to see you, you said my name when I walked through the door. I thought you were awake, but it turned out you were mumbling in your sleep. I didn't leave your room for two days. Cross was God-knows-where, and I wasn't about to leave you to wake up on your own.

"Today, the twenty seventh, your uncle came. He told me who he was and that he'd heard from Cross that you were having a really hard time lately and came to see you, but was really surprised when he saw you. He said that the last time he was in a hospital was when you were younger and received your scar."

Allen stiffened. That was one of the few stories that he hadn't told Lavi about. He'd told him that he watched Mana's death, but he'd only said that he was shot. He didn't want Lavi to think any less of him for what he went through as a kid.

"Don't worry, I didn't ask for a background story or anything," Lavi said, as if reading his mind. He raised his hands in a don't-freak-out gesture. "I know that you're pretty touchy about that scar of yours, so I let it be."

Allen sighed, relaxing.

"Anyway, when Neah got here, we both kinda hung out around, waiting for you to wake up. Then, when Neah left to go get some lunch in the afternoon, Tim came up to me and showed me something . . . interesting." He looked pissed.

"Ya'see, it turns out that Tim recorded your attack. I saw it _all,_ Allen. I saw the way Tyki hurt you. The way he stabbed you, sliced you, then fucking _set you on fire._ To be honest, I'm pretty sure what little of my sanity I still had went up in smoke at that moment.

"As soon as Neah came back, I told him that I had to go. For the first time in two days, I left the hospital and went to Tyki's house. When I showed up on his doorstep, the mother fucker thought I wanted to get back together with him. Can you believe it? That sick fuck thought I was there to mend our shitty relationship! So, me being the pissed off guy I was, decked him in the face, right then and there."

Lavi gritted his teeth, his tight jaw visible under the skin. "After that, I demanded to know why the hell he did that. He tells me it was because you stole me away from him. Worst answer I've ever heard. So I kicked him around a bit, but I still had some self control. When I was done, I turned to leave, but that's when he told me what you refused to."

Allen gulped.

"He told me that he's the one who beat the shit out of you that one day. Then he said that he had made those fucking posters and paid his brothers to scatter 'em around the school. The same damn posters that made you cut yourself. That's when I snapped. I . . . I don't even remember the beating I gave him. All I remember was that I was smiling by the end."

Allen stared at Lavi in the projection in utter shock as his friend swiped a stray tear from his eye.

"And that's where I am now. See?"

Timcanpy had turned his gaze from Lavi to a bloodied Tyki lying on the front porch of his house, looking very much unconscious. His nose was obviously broken, his black right eye would soon be accompanied by the left, and blood was leaking from his gums and lips. Tim focused his attention back on Lavi as he started speaking again. This time, he was holding his cell phone.

"Anyway, I . . . I'm sorry that I couldn't protect ya little buddy. I'm sorry that Tyki kept hurting you and I never noticed. But most of all, I'm sorry that I won't be there when you wake up." He held up his cell phone and smiled slightly.

"I know that I hurt Tyki more than I should have. Don't get me wrong, the bastard deserved every minute of it and I'd happily do it again twice, but I'm going to turn myself in. Maybe that way I'll get off easier? Who knows? Plus, if I don't turn myself in, Tyki probably will, so I might as well get a jump start on my punishment, eh? Point is, I'm not going to be there when you wake up, and I figured you should know why."

Lavi flipped open his cell phone and dialed the police. As he held the phone to his ear, he smiled. "Maybe now I can finally fall asleep knowing that the bastard has finally been put in his place. I'll talk to ya later, Allen. You get better, ya hear?" Lavi faded from Allen's view as the projection ended.

A familiar voice said, "So that's what happened, huh?"

Allen turned to his left to see Neah sitting upright in his chair. He smiled sadly at his nephew as he stood up and patted his head.

"I . . . I guess so . . ." Allen murmured.

"That Lavi seems like a nice kid. Is he your boyfriend?" Neah asked.

Allen blushed at the thought and shook his head, hoping to hide it. "Wh-what? Why would you say something like that? I don't like guys."

"Allen, don't lie to me. I've known that you like boys since you were eleven. You made it pretty obvious," Neah said with a small smile.

"R . . . Really? You've known that long? I only came to terms with my sexuality awhile ago . . ." Allen trailed off.

"That's why I'm your favorite uncle, because I can read you like a book." Neah grinned. "Now, tell me about this Lavi character and what exactly he is to you."

"He's my best friend."

Neah eyed Allen suspiciously. "Are you sure about that? I have a feeling he likes you more than a best friend, and I'm thinking the feelings are mutual?"

Allen blushed deeper. "Uh, well . . . It's just that we haven't discussed it. . . ."

"Ah, so there's a chance you will be more?"

"M-maybe? I dunno. . ." Allen trailed off. His memory was still fuzzy from the night of the party, but he was pretty sure he had done something with Lavi. He could see small glimpses of red hair tangled in his fingers, Lavi's warm, delicious lips, his sparkling eye. . . Allen blushed even deeper than before and cursed his arms for not working to cover it up.

Neah sighed. "Well, that just makes this so much harder."

"Huh?"

"Allen, there's something that I need to discuss with you. As your friend told you, I came here because Marian called me. But I didn't tell him the whole reason."

"What's the whole reason?"

Neah opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. He looked like he was thinking about how to tell Allen the reasoning behind his sudden appearance. When he finally opened his mouth, he said, "It's too late to talk about that right now. You should get some more rest. We'll talk soon. I promise."

"But Uncle Neah—"

"No buts, mister. Now go to sleep. I promise we'll talk about this; it just needs to be at the right time."

Allen was slightly nervous about his uncle's words, but this was his Uncle Neah, his only living relative and the man Allen trusted with his life. In the end, he decided that arguing wouldn't get him any further and agreed to go back to sleep. When Neah walked back to his chair on the side of the room, Allen felt bad. He knew that the chair was probably really hard to sleep on.

"Uncle Neah?"

"Yes, Allen?"

"Would you come sleep by me? That chair looks really uncomfortable, and there's lots of room over here."

"Allen, you're sixteen years old. I'd hate to embarrass you by sleeping by you."

"You won't embarrass me!" Allen insisted. "Really, you won't. Plus, I've really missed you these past few years. . . ."

Neah chuckled at his nephew's cuteness. "All right." He made his way over to Allen's left and lay down next to him. Since both males were small for their ages, they were able to fit comfortably and still have plenty of room. Neah reached over and brushed some of Allen's hair behind his ear in a comforting manner. "Goodnight, my nephew."

"Goodnight, Uncle Neah."

Then the two fell asleep soundly.

Over the next few days, Neah still didn't tell Allen why he had come to see him. Sure, Allen was happy to have his uncle back and enjoyed the time they spent together, but he knew that there was something important that Neah was keeping from him. Whenever Allen had tried to bring it up again, Neah would find a way to dodge the question.

On New Year's Day, Kanda and Lenalee had come by with balloons and presents to celebrate. By then, Allen could move his right arm and was actually able to contribute to the small party. He still couldn't walk very far because of his legs and stomach, but he could now stand up and limp around a bit. Although it hurt like hell, Allen dealt with the pain, knowing that it would fade away soon.

A week later, Allen could finally move around freely, but it still hurt to move too much and he had to be gentle not to reopen his wounds. He was up pacing his room again, completely bored out of his mind. Neah was in the cafeteria eating his lunch, so he had no one to talk to. Just then, his door opened.

"Hey there, Allen," Reever said as he walked in.

"Hi, Doctor."

"It's time that we take a look at your left arm. How's it feeling today?"

"It's still really sore, but I can move it now," Allen reported.

"That's good to know. So how about you take a seat here and we'll replace the bandages," Reever said, gesturing towards his bed.

Allen complied and sat comfortably on his bed, holding his arm out to the doctor. Reever took his arm into his hands and gently began to unwrap it slowly. When it was exposed to the air, Allen hissed at the throbbing, but said nothing. Allen's once red, scaly arm was now pitch black and smooth. The fire had burned off all the rough skin. The skin went up his arm, stopping just beneath his shoulder. Although it burned like no other, the surface of his arm was cool to the touch. The green cross was still embedded into the back of his hand, looking unscathed by the flames that burned the rest of his arm. For the first few days, his arm was in much worse condition. The red skin was peeling and there was nasty pus all over. Now there was no sign of any burns and the old skin had completely been shed off. Allen could hardly recognize his own limb.

"It's healing very nicely, Allen. With the severity of the flames, I would usually be worried about the internal damage, but it seems that the unique skin that covered your arm was thick enough to prevent any other damage to happen besides to the outer layer of skin. On top of that, you seem to heal at a very fast rate. You're a very lucky young man," Reever said with a big smile.

"Thank you, Doctor Reever."

"For what?"

"For helping me out. I know I was horrible to you in the beginning."

Reever waved one hand dismissively as he used the other to reach for a tube of gel. "I already told you, that's all right. Really, I've had patients throw things at me when they first wake up. I understand that you were in pain, so I don't hold that against you." Reever ruffled Allen's hair and grinned. "Besides, you're a cool kid, I couldn't be mad at you. Now hold out your arm so we can put this stuff on it."

"Yes, sir."

For the next ten minutes, the two worked on Allen's arm as they chatted happily. Once his arm was bandaged, Neah came into the room and Reever dismissed himself.

"Hey, Uncle Neah. How was your lunch?"

"Not the greatest thing I've ever eaten, but who am I to complain?"

"You can leave the hospital if you want," Allen said. "Go stay with Master. Then you won't be as bored and you can actually eat some good food."

"No, I'll be fine here. I couldn't leave you here; what kind of uncle would I be if I did that?"

"The normal kind?"

"But I'm not normal, now am I?"

"I suppose that's true."

"Precisely."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a couple minutes. Finally, Allen spoke up.

"What day is it, Uncle Neah?"

"Hm? Oh, today is Saturday the eighth."

"So then . . ." Allen trailed off as he stared to count on his right fingers, trying to figure something out. "Lavi only has three days left until he's released from jail."

Neah nodded. "That's right."

Allen grinned, exited. "I get to see Lavi in three days!"

"I hope you spend every moment you can with him when you meet again."

"What?" Allen asked, cocking his head to the side.

Neah sighed. "You aren't going to be seeing him for very much longer."

Frantically, Allen asked, "Wait, whaddaya mean? Why?"

Neah took a deep breath as he walked over to Allen's bed and sat down beside him. He reached his hand up and ruffled his hair, a sad smile on his face.

"Allen, I know that you are probably going to hate me for this, but I'm taking you with me back to Oregon. When you're out of the hospital and we get you signed out of Black Order High, you are going to move in with me and I'm going to take over as your guardian."

Allen stared at Neah, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. "Wait . . . what?"

**[Note from the Author: And once again, I leave you all a cliffhanger. Ah, you know you love me =P**

**Did you guys like this chapter? I hope so, I loved writing it. Especially when Allen asked Neah to sleep by him =3 That was by far my favorite.**

**Don't worry, I already have the next chapter mostly written . . . But you're going to have to wait until next Sunday to read it =D I know, I'm mean, but I like the thought of updating on a weekly basis. I'm going to make Sundays my updating day. That goes for ****Little Lavi ****too. Tune in next Sunday! (Wow, I feel like one of those stupid T.V announcers now . . . o.O)**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((Note from the Beta:_

_I hate to steal the last word here, but I do have a few things to say. Firstly, I'd like to thank animeobsessed001 for letting me edit for her. I'll continue doing it, too. _

_This leads me to my second thing: a question—if you feel like answering. Do you feel like I've had much of an impact on this story? I've done nothing to the plot, so it's not like we're co-writing, but I just want to know if there have been any noticeable differences between these last two chapters and the ones before I showed up. By the way, I don't necessarily mean the grammar; that's not all I've been helping with._

_And the last thing I've got to say is how much I envy animeobsessed001's ability to write so much so quickly. It's just . . . astounding. She writes more per day than Stephen King does. And . . . I don't. ^^; _

_But yeah, be excited for Sunday! ;D I know I'm excited._

—_Zamizu))_


	15. Chapter 15

**[Note from the Author: Hey there everyone! I'm so sorry this is late! I got grounded. I really need to stop doing that Dx And then I was super busy and caught a wicked case of writer's block. *sigh* I'm so off schedule..**

**Anyway, thanks for reading Chapter Fifteen! I have not only surpassed my original goal of ten chapters, but I have also made it to my next goal of fifteen! Now if I can somehow make it to twenty, I will feel so accomplished. I don't think the story is going to be that long, but who knows? I may get another burst of inspiration along the way.**

**Thanks everyone for the reviews and story alerts. As always, you guys rock.**

**Thank you **zamizu-me **for being an amazing Beta! Even if it's late, it's still done and that's all that counts. Thanks Zamizu~! *heart***

**Onward with the story!**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it.**

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((From Zamizu: _

_Sorry for waiting, like, four days before I did my editing. XD I'm sure it doesn't matter to most of you, though. I just kept forgetting. (Sorry, _animeobsessed001_!)_

_And I'm sure this doesn't matter to you guys either, but I've sacrificed a few commas to make the speech flow in the way she intended during dialog. _

_And don't you think her writing is improving? I'm certainly seeing a difference. Her grammar has been improving, too, considering there wasn't much to edit in those terms (though there were two typos in this chapter). Grammar aside, there are a few little things most writers don't catch, but besides that, it's spotless. I commend her for being two years younger than I and having this kind of writing ability. ^^ _

_You keep writing and we'll keep reading, _animeobsessed001_!))_

Chapter Fifteen

"What? I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" Allen's stomach tightened and he felt like he was ready to throw up.

"I said, you are moving back with me to Oregon," Neah replied.

"No I'm not," Allen said stubbornly, ignoring the urge to puke his guts out. He couldn't believe that his uncle was making him leave his home. He may have only lived here for two years, but it was the longest he'd ever stayed in one place. Even when he lived with Mana, the two were always traveling around England, finding somewhere new to put on shows. The longest they ever stayed in the same town was half a year when he was twelve. There was no way that he was leaving here. No, no way. He refused.

"Yes, you are. Technically, Mana left you under my care. I couldn't perform my job as your guardian until I was sure the Akuma were off my back, so your godfather Marian took over. Now that I am sure that I'm no longer being pursued by my former gang, I can take care of you and fulfill my duty as your guardian."

"Well, why can't you move here? What's the matter with Missouri? Why can't you be my guardian without making me move across the country?"

"The reason you're moving is because I don't think this is a very good environment for you, Allen. Marian and I have been in contact since he started taking care of you. He told me about the time you tried to commit suicide. I honestly tried to take you then, but the Akuma were still hot on my trail. We decided that it would be best if you moved to America; maybe then you wouldn't be constantly reminded of Mana."

"So, I moved to America so I could get away from the memory of Mana?" Allen asked, stupefied.

"Exactly. It worked well. You hadn't tried committing suicide, you made friends, and Marian said that you even started playing the piano again. It was the perfect plan. The only reason that I didn't move by you was because I still hadn't shaken off the Akuma. I've only just recently done that. I was working on house searching out here," he said, irritation growing in his voice. "But the last time Marian called me, he said that you needed to get out of here. He said that you've been getting beaten up, that you've been really depressed lately, and that you've even started cutting your wrists!" he shouted. "Tell me that I shouldn't be worried for you! Tell me why I shouldn't be taking you away from here!"

Allen looked at his feet dangling over the side of his bed._Uncle Neah's right. I have been really depressed, and I have done some stupid things. But I can't leave!_"Uncle Neah, I'm sorry for what I've done. I was stupid. But please, please reconsider. I can't leave here. This has become my home. I can't leave." Tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he spoke.

He took a breath, steadying himself. "Allen, I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to stay here. I don't feel comfortable leaving you here where you are constantly getting hurt."

"But, Uncle Neah!"

"No buts Allen. I have explained enough. I am not going back on my decision. We're leaving on the fifteenth."

"But that's next week!"

"I know. The sooner we leave, the sooner you can start your new life." Neah sighed sadly as he brushed Allen's hair out of his face and used his thumb to swipe the tears that had fallen onto his cheeks away. "I'm sorry, Allen. But this is for the best."

Allen wanted to keep begging his uncle to rethink this decision, but he knew that Neah wouldn't cave. He knew that once his uncle made his mind up about something, he hardly ever went back on it. He kept walking forward without looking back. Just as Mana had always told Allen to do. Even though he knew it was a pointless battle, Allen couldn't stop fighting.

"It isn't for the best, Uncle Neah! How is leaving my home, the one place I've ever really felt I belonged, for the best? How is leaving my friends good? How is leaving behind the person I love going to help me get over my depression? It's not going to!"

"Maybe at first it won't, but you'll do better! Just like when you first moved here. Weren't you hesitant to move to America because you thought that if you did you would forget Mana forever? You threw the biggest fit Marian has ever seen! And now you don't want to leave here because you've made friends. You're going to make friends there too!"

"I don't want new friends! I want the ones I have! I don't want to leave here!"

"I don't care! You are leaving with me and that is_final_!" Neah shouted, making Allen flinch. Realizing what he did, he sighed. "I'm sorry for yelling, Allen. I understand how this move is making you feel. You have to keep in mind that you staying here in such an unsafe environment is not only bad for your well-being, but my sanity as well. You're my only family, Allen. You're my brother's son, my nephew. I protect what's mine. That much hasn't changed since I've left the gang." Neah's expression had taken a terrifying turn. His eyes glowed with rage and his jaw was set. It was the face of the Musician, the second in command the Akuma, the face of a killer.

Allen hadn't seen this expression since he was in the hospital in England after Mana's brutal murder. Back then, his uncle's face had scared the daylights out of him. Now, three years later, he was still admittedly fearful.

"The only reason that I never forced what happened out of you so I could butcher the person who did this to you is because I had a feeling that Lavi had taken care of it. When I heard that he had been arrested for assault, I figured it was because he had beaten the one who hurt you. Before that happened, I spent the first two days of my arrival contemplating murder. I have killed countless people in the past for lesser reasons; what's one more body to add to my overall count because he hurt my nephew? The point is, Allen, I would kill for you without a second thought. If you stay here, where your entire school is making you miserable and hurting you, some kids are going to disappear and their blood will be on my hands. I don't want to start killing again, but if you're being harmed, I won't be able to stop myself. Let me keep what little of my sanity that I have managed to keep and move in with me. You're not the only one affected by your harassment. Not just me either, but Lavi too. Think of what he's done for you."

Allen was stunned into silence. He tried to soak in everything that Neah just told him. It was true. Allen didn't doubt that his uncle would kill another human being for him. He also knew that Lavi was almost the same, the difference being that the red-head didn't have six years of experience in a gang like Neah did.

Now that Allen thought about it, he realized how much he really was hurting Neah and Lavi. They were both so close to Allen and only wanted him to be safe. He thought of all the times that Lavi had yelled in the past few weeks because of him, even though he really wasn't the type to be angry. He thought about the times he'd lost his control and got into fights. Finally, he thought of the time Lavi broke down at his birthday party. Lavi really was hurting. _It's all my fault. If I move, will he be better?_

Allen realized that if he had only told Lavi the truth about his frantic sprint home back in mid December, none of this would have happened. Lavi and Tyki would have fought and gotten over it, Tyki wouldn't have had to get revenge on him having Lavi to himself, he would still be dating Road, Lavi wouldn't have ever kissed him, he wouldn't be in the hospital, and Neah wouldn't have come all the way from Oregon and made him move in with him. All the drama that was hurting so many other people would never have begun. It was all Allen's fault. Everything bad was.

Quietly, Allen said, "Uncle Neah? Can you go visit Master for a while? I need some time to let this sink in."

Neah nodded as he stood up and walked to the door of the hospital room. He paused in the doorway and looked back at Allen. "Take your time, I'll be back around dinner."

"'Kay," Allen mumbled and Neah left. Now that he was alone, Allen looked around his room for anything sharp. _Hmm, I wonder if I could use that paperclip on the floor. I'm sure if I bent it the right way and pressed hard enou–_Allen slapped himself, making him forget about what he was thinking. _No! I will not cut! No! But maybe just once . . . ._"Ugh!" Allen cried as he hit his head on the wall. Deciding that the pain in his forehead was almost as good as the pain he would have felt on his wrist, he continued to slam his head into the wall.

Each time his head connected to the hard surface, there was a loud sound. As the force of impact increased, as did the volume of banging on the wall. After a few more blows, Lenalee rushed into the room. "Allen! What are you doing?" she cried as he ran to the teen and pulled him away from the wall. Allen didn't put up much of a fight. He was feeling light headed. "What do you think you're doing?" Lenalee demanded.

"Nothin'. Leave me alone," Allen mumbled.

"That wasn't nothing Allen. Look at your head!"

Allen brought his hand up to his forehead and felt something slick and warm. He pulled his hand down to see blood on his fingertips. "Oops," he said lamely.

"Oops? That's all you have to say? You were just hitting your head against the wall and now you're bleeding, and all you have to say is 'oops'?"

"Sorry," Allen mumbled.

Lenalee sighed before walking to the side of Allen's bed and pressing the button to call the nurse. No more than two minutes later, a woman walked into the room.

"You requested assistance?" she asked kindly as she closed the door behind her. She was a pretty woman. She had brunette hair that was cropped at her shoulders, green eyes (but not as bright or appealing as Lavi's, Allen decided), and was a little taller than Allen. She wore the standard Black Order Hospital nurses' uniform. Her nametag pinned on her right breast read 'Chomesuke.'

"Yes," Lenalee replied and pointed at Allen. "This idiot was hitting his head on the wall and now he's bleeding."

Chomesuke looked at Allen for the first time and took in his state. When her eyes landed on his forehead, she sighed and asked, "Now why would you so something like that, Mr. Walker?" Her voice was light. When Allen simply shrugged in response, Chomesuke chuckled before turning to the cabinets in the room and pulled out medical supplies.

Once Chomesuke gathered all the necessary materials, she gestured Allen to sit on his bed and began to tend to his wound.

"Allen. Why did you do that?" Lenalee questioned as Chomesuke began to clean away the blood on his face.

"'Cause," Allen answered. He didn't know how to break the news of his move to Lenalee. _How do I tell her that I'm moving in a week? If I tell her, she'll probably spread the word and Lavi will hear before I can tell him myself. What should I do?_

Lenalee glared at Allen. "Not good enough, Beansprout; try again," she said as she put her hands on her hips. For the first time, Allen really took in Lenalee's appearance. She was wearing a teal low top that shimmered in the light, a short white skirt with ruffles at the end, and black leggings beneath and her usual pair of black sequined boots. Usual Lenalee. She continued to stand in front of Allen with her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer she would be willing to accept.

"I can't tell you," Allen mumbled. At the look of hurt on Lenalee's face, he quickly added, "Yet. I can't tell you yet. It's something I want to say when Lavi is here too."

Lenalee pouted. "Why can't you tell me now? Why do we have to wait for Lavi?"

Allen opened his mouth to respond, but winced when Chomesuke started to smear some kind of gel on his forehead. Just then, he became fully aware of the pounding headache he had. He closed his eyes and tried to will the pain away.

Chomesuke noticed Allen's shift in attitude. "Are you okay, hun?" she asked as she taped some gauze to his head.

"No," Allen said.

"Is it your head that hurts?"

"Mostly."

"What else hurts?"

"My stomach," Allen admitted.

"Do you mean like a stomachache or where you were stabbed?"

"Both."

"All right, I'll go get the doctor so he can look at it," Chomesuke said as she began to dispose of the trash and put away the remains of the medicine back in the cupboards.

"Thank you," Allen said sincerely.

"You're welcome, hun. The doctor should be in here soon." Then she gave a final smile before leaving the room.

"Well?" Lenalee demanded, making Allen jump. He had forgotten she was there for a moment.

"'Well' what?"

"Why can't you just tell me what's on your mind?"

"Because I want Lavi there when I say it," Allen said.

"But Lavi doesn't get out of jail for three days!"

_Three days. . . . In three days I'll only have four days left before I leave to Oregon. That means I will only have four days to spend with Lavi! _As Allen reached this realization, he started to bawl.

Seeing Allen cry caught Lenalee off guard. "Allen? What's wrong?" she asked frantically. She ran over to Allen and held his head to her chest and stroked his hair gently. "Allen, what's the matter? I don't think it can wait," Lenalee whispered into Allen's ear.

Hearing this, Allen broke completely. He sobbed against Lenalee's chest. "D. . .D'n wanna go. . ."

"What?"

"I dun wanna go. Dun wanna leave. . ."

"Go where, Allen? Where don't you want to go?"

"O-Oregon. Uncle Neah's making me move. . . ."

"What? When?" Lenalee cried.

Allen didn't reply right away. He continued to cry into Lenalee's chest for a few moments before he could finally say anything and be understood. "One week . . ."

"WHAT? One week?"

Allen nodded sadly and Lenalee rubbed his back in a comforting matter. "I . . . I'm sorry. . . ." Allen apologized.

"No, no, you're fine. Why are you moving?" Lenalee asked gently, her voice cracking a bit.

"Because Uncle Neah says that this isn't a good environment for me," he said quietly. When Lenalee gave him a questioning look, Allen sighed and spilled _everything. _Well, almost everything. He told Lenalee about everything that happened since he tried to kill himself back in England. Including Tyki's bullying, his self mutilation, and even the feelings he hid from Lavi.

Lenalee stayed quiet while Allen told her his story. She never tried to interrupt him, but would occasionally pull the white-haired boy into an embrace when he looked like he was on the verge of tears. She would also run her hands through his hair or along his back to encourage him to keep speaking.

Finally, Allen reached the end. Lenalee knew everything about him from the time he tried to overdose to now. Allen had to admit, now that he had talked about his problems with another human being, he actually felt a little better. As if some of the weight on his shoulders had been lifted. Even though he enjoyed the relief, he felt bad for burdening Lenalee with everything he'd told her.

Once she was sure that Allen had finished, Lenalee pulled Allen against her once again. "Wow, Allen . . . I never knew that you were suffering so much. . . . I'm so sorry for not realizing it sooner."

"Don't apologize, Lenalee. I'm the one who should be sorry for bothering you with all of this."

Lenalee pulled Allen back and held him at an arm's length away from her. Her violet eyes stared deeply into his mercury ones. "Don't you talk like that, Allen Walker. Why do you always think that you're burdening others when you reach out for help? No one is able to shoulder all their pain alone. That's why you have friend. Me, Kanda, and Lavi will always be here for you. You can come to us for anything, and you won't be bothering us."

Allen looked at Lenalee skeptically. He wanted to believe what she was telling him, he really did, but he knew for a fact that Kanda would try to disembowel him if he ever went to the samurai-wannabe with one of his problems.

Lenalee sighed at Allen's doubt. "I mean it. I love you like a brother, Allen. There really isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. Kanda may not act like it, but he really does care about you. He just has a funny way of showing it. Like tough love, you know? And Lavi, he's loved you more than a brother for a long time. Ever since your first year here, Lavi would swear up and down that you were his personal British angel sent to him from Heaven above."

Allen raised an eyebrow. _This is the first time I've heard about that._

"It's true. The only reason that he never asked you out was because he thought you were straight. We all did for awhile. So he started going out with Tyki because he had a crush on him at the time. When you finally came out, you have no idea how confused poor Lavi was. He almost broke up with Tyki the very day you announced you liked guys, but he didn't think it would be very fair to Tyki."

Allen was speechless. After all, being told that the person you're head-over-heels in love with shares your feelings is quite a bit to take in. Although Allen trusted Lenalee with his life, he couldn't help but be a little bit doubtful. "Then if you've known for all this time, why haven't you told me until now?" Allen asked.

Lenalee gave a small smile. "Because I thought you knew! I mean, Lavi was so _obvious_! I thought you figured it out, but just weren't interested."

"Not interested? Of course I was! I mean, I've been in love with Lavi for a long time! I just tried to keep it to myself because I didn't want to interfere with Lavi's happiness. I always thought he saw me as his brother and nothing else. . . ."

Lenalee chuckled and ruffled Allen's hair. "You know, Beansprout, you really are oblivious. Lavi only said that he saw you as his little brother so he could say 'I love you' without weirding you out."

After taking this in, he said, "My name is Allen."

"I know, I know." Once again, Lenalee hugged Allen and kissed the boy on the cheek. "I'm sorry that we couldn't have had this conversation earlier. Maybe things wouldn't be as totally fucked up as they are right now if we did," Lenalee said sadly.

"What happened happened. I wish it could've been different, but there's no point in putting yourself down for what you did or didn't do," Allen said with a small smile.

Lenalee sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Just then, Neah walked into the room. "Allen? Are you all right? The nurse said that you hurt your head a while ago."

Allen sat up and released Lenalee before replying to his uncle. "No, I'm not all right. I don't want to leave, Uncle Neah. Please reconsider."

"Allen, we've already had this conversation; you and I are leaving for Oregon in a week, and that is final."

"Please, Neah! Don't take Allen away!" Lenalee cried.

Neah turned his attention to Lenalee, his expression softening. He shook his head sadly. "Lenalee, I know that you care for my nephew, and that means a lot to me, but think of it this way: has he been suffering lately?"

"Yes, but—"

"And has he been bullied lately?"

"Yes. . . ."

"Has he been hurting himself?"

Lenalee flinched. "Y-yes. . . ."

"Then don't you think it would be good for Allen to move away from all of this? Don't you think that if he were given the chance to start new, he could possibly have a chance to be happy?"

Lenalee didn't respond, but Allen could tell by the tears falling down her cheeks that she understood his uncle's logic. Worse than that, she agreed with it.

"I guess you're right. . . ." she said quietly.

It was official. Allen was leaving. Not even Lenalee would help him fight to stay.

**[Note from the Author: Hey! I am so, so, so, so, so sorry for making you all wait so long for this update! Damn writer's block and life. They suck!**

**Anyway, I have to cut this note short. I'm going to watch Walking Dead ;D Please review! It'd mean the world to me!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001]**


	16. Chapter 16

**[Note from the Author: Hey people! Hooray, an update on time! Yay! I'm so proud of myself ^^ Damn school made it difficult though. Ugh. **

**Okay, I noticed I've been a real jerk lately and left so many chapters off with cliffhangers. I'm sorry! I'll try not to this time. It may be a bit of a cliffy, but it won't be major. **

**Thank you everyone for the reviews over the week! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside =3 Speaking of reviews, **jass99102 **and **EdwardElricAllenWalker**, you guys are amazing for watching The Walking Dead =D Did you guys see the part where Rick shot the two guys in cold blood coming? I know I sure didn't. **

**Last, but certainly not least, thanks to **zamizu-me **who puts up with my crappy grammar. He has taught me so much and I'm so thankful. Your Beta Notes always make me smile and encourage me. Thank you Zamizu~! *heart***

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001] **

Chapter Sixteen

Allen was released from the hospital the next day. Part of him was happy to return home, but the bigger part of him didn't really give a damn about anything. It was Monday the ninth, six days until the end came. Maybe that was a bit of an over exaggeration, but that's what it felt like to Allen. What little hope he clung to about staying in Missouri was squashed the day before when Lenalee had agreed with Neah that he should move. After all, why hope to stay when one of your best friends in the whole world says that you're too depressed to? There is no reason. So he promised his uncle that he would move because everyone seemed to think that it would be better for him.

As soon as Allen got home, he ran into his bedroom and closed himself off from the rest of the world with a slam of the door. The next two days passed by agonizingly slow for him, only emerging from his bedroom to eat and use the restroom. Neah would try to convince him to come out, but to no avail. Allen was stubborn and refused. He was too angry at his uncle to even talk to him. He was angry at Lenalee for not helping him fight to stay. Most of all, he was angry at himself for being mad at them when it was his own damn fault that he was leaving.

Finally, it was Wednesday the eleventh. The day that Lavi was going to be released from jail. Allen woke up around six in the morning from excitement. He rushed across the hall to shower and make himself presentable for his best friend's return. By seven thirty, he was dressed for the day and made his way downstairs.

"The brat lives," Cross said when Allen walked into the kitchen.

Allen jumped in surprise. Cross was never up before nine, so his presence this early was very uncommon. "Good morning, Master," Allen greeted politely. "Why are you awake this early?"

"'Cause Neah wouldn't let me sleep in. I'm gonna kick his ass for it later," he grumbled. After a second of silence, he raised his hand and beckoned for Allen to step towards him. "Come here, brat," he said gruffly.

Allen complied and walked to his godfather. He wasn't surprised when Cross had taken his right arm and tugged up his sleeve to examine his injuries. He even unwrapped the bandages to reveal the horrendous stitches beneath.

Cross wasn't checking if Allen was healing, he was checking to make sure the teen hadn't been harming himself over the past few days and Allen knew it. Part of Allen was hurt that Cross had no faith in him, but at the same time, he didn't blame Cross. After all, he had cut, just on his calf where no one could see it. He couldn't help it. As they say, old habits die hard.

Cross grunted his approval and released Allen's arm. "Good to see you're not cutting, brat," he said.

"Thanks," Allen muttered as he walked to the fridge, taking extra care to not limp as he did so.

"Good morning, Allen!" Neah said cheerfully as he walked into the kitchen.

"G'morning, Uncle Neah," Allen replied.

"Are you ready to see Lavi?" Neah asked.

Allen nodded silently as he pulled out a tub of cream cheese and closed the fridge as he walked to the bread box. He pulled out the bag of bagels and took four out of the bag and started to prepare them.

"Lavi's grandfather called me a little while ago. He said that he went to pick Lavi up. Judging by when he called me, they should be back at any moment."

When Allen heard this, his heart sped up. _Lavi's coming home! _He shoved the last bit of bagel into his mouth as he ran to the fridge, grabbing the milk gallon and chugged a good amount before putting it back and rushing up the stairs.

_If I hurry, I can get to Lavi's house before him and surprise him by waiting on his porch,_ Allen thought with a smile as he ran into the bathroom and pulled out his toothbrush. He scrubbed his teeth as fast as he possibly could before swishing some rinse in his mouth and running down the stairs and to his front door.

Allen threw open the front door, ready to bolt the two blocks to Lavi's house when he ran into something. Or rather, someone.

"What's the hurry, Beansprout?" And here I fought with Gramps to drop me off," Lavi said.

Allen looked up from the strong chest he had collided with to see Lavi grinning down at him. His gorgeous red hair was a bit messier than it normally was and there were bags beneath his visible eye. There was a bit of growth on his cheeks and chin, showing that he didn't shave while he was in jail. Lavi looked older than eighteen, and Allen had to admit, it was pretty hot.

Before Allen had a chance to say anything, Lavi wrapped his arms around the younger teen and pulled him into a back-crunching bear hug. "I've missed ya, little buddy!" he said happily as he lifted Allen off his feet.

"Lavi! Calm down," Allen said with a laugh.

"Aww, fine," Lavi said as he set Allen back on his feet. With a grin, he ruffled the younger teen's hair. "It's good to see ya," he said.

"Welcome back," Allen said.

"I thought I heard the homo," Cross said from the doorway inside the house.

Allen glared at Cross. "Don't call him that," he growled.

Cross raised an eyebrow at Allen. Then he huffed and walked away, muttering something about stupid homos.

Neah walked over after Cross left and smiled at the red-head and held out a hand to shake. "It's good to see you again, Lavi."

Lavi took Neah's hand and shook it. "Likewise," he replied.

"Won't you come in?" Neah asked.

"If it isn't too much trouble," Lavi said.

Allen smiled at the formality that Lavi always showed when he wanted to make a good impression. Although the red-head didn't look it, he could be very polite and proper when he tried. When Allen would point it out, Lavi would scratch the back of his head in embarrassment and say that he only did it when he was talking to someone important.

"Of course not. Come in," Neah said as he held open the door.

Lavi and Allen walked into the house and took a seat on one of the couches in the living room. Neah sat on one couch while the duo shared the other.

"So, how was life in the slammer?" Neah asked jokingly.

"Oi, it was so _boring_! I spent fifteen days playing rummy and solitaire or reading some old Nora Roberts books." Lavi shuddered for dramatic effect. "Ugh, romance. How chicks can read that stuff I'll never know."

Neah nodded knowingly. "It sounds like it hasn't changed that much since my last visit. The last time I was in jail, I read the bible. Did you know that book is one of the most demented books there is?"

Lavi laughed. "I know, right? Gramps made me read it last summer. I figured it would be like church, all fluffy and nice. Nope! There's so much violence, it's pretty entertaining."

The sound of his uncle and best friend laughing together and getting along was music to Allen's ears. He was glad that they were hitting it off so well. As the two continued to converse, Allen's lack of sleep the past few days started to take it's toll on him. He was leaning against one of the black leather pillows comfortably and was slowly drifting to sleep. When he was just a second or two from falling asleep, Neah said something that made Allen wake up completely.

"Why did you do it, Lavi? Why did you attack Tyki?"

Allen knew that Neah only asked because he thought that his nephew was asleep, so Allen didn't move a muscle. Keeping his eyes opened and his breathing even, he listened carefully.

Lavi was silent for a moment, as if thinking his answer over. Then he answered, "Why do you think, Neah? He hurt Allen."

"I know, but why did you lose control?" Neah inquired. "From what your friends have told me, you're not one for violence."

"I'm not," Lavi admitted. "But Tyki stabbed Allen and set him on fire. What was I supposed to do? Slap him on the wrist and tell him to not do it again? Hell no! Then when I found out that he's been the one tormenting Allen at school, I seriously lost it. I would have hurt him worse if Tim hadn't stopped me."

Neah sighed. "I'm torn here. The responsible adult in me wants to whack you upside the head and tell you that fighting is never the answer, but the protective uncle in me is pissed that you didn't finish that creep off."

Lavi chuckled. "I know what you mean. I know that it's a good thing that I stopped, but I just wish that I could have really fucked up that bastard more."

"Why are you so protective of Allen? I haven't known you all that long, but I already know that you try to act as a protector for my nephew. Care to explain why?" Neah asked.

"Heh, I don't know if I want to say. As his uncle, you my want to kick my ass," Lavi answered.

"Try me."

"Fine. I take it upon myself because Allen is too nice to hurt anyone himself. I know that the squirt can fight, but he's too kind-hearted to do it. So I stick up for him. At least, that's how it started. Now I can't stand the thought of someone laying their hands on him. I get so angry I just lash out because they hurt him. I guess that's my crappy version of a confession. I love your nephew, sir. I'm sorry if you're against homosexuals like Cross is, but I do love Allen. I'd do anything to keep him safe."

Allen's heart started beating painfully fast in his chest. _Am I really hearing this? I have to be dreaming, there's no way that Lavi would say something like that. _

"Really? And how do I know that you're not lying?" Neah asked.

"I suppose you don't. But you can trust me when I say I will never do anything to hurt him and will do everything in my power to keep him safe."

It took every ounce of Allen's self control to now leap up and hug Lavi right then and there. His heart was pounding so loudly that he was sure that Neah and Lavi could hear it. He prayed that he wasn't blushing.

"Hmm, I see," Neah said. "Well, I'll have you know that the feelings are mutual. Allen feels the same way about you."

Once again, Allen struggled to stay where he was. He wanted nothing more than to jump up and strangle his uncle, but that would blow his cover.

"R-really?" Lavi asked in a tone that Allen had never heard from the red-head before. His voice was quiet and nervous, almost bashful. Allen had never expected to hear that from the rambunctious bunny that he had come to love.

Just then, Allen's nose twitched and he sneezed. _Crap! Now they're going to know I'm awake! _

The room was silent and Allen waited for someone to tell him to cut the act, but it never came. They still thought he was asleep.

"Heh, good thing he wasn't awake. He would have probably kicked me for telling you his feelings before he could," Neah laughed.

_Damn right!_ Allen thought.

"Ya'know, he's probably uncomfortable here on the couch, can I take him upstairs to his bed?" Lavi asked.

"Be my guest," was Neah's reply.

Allen felt himself being lifted by strong arms. He did his best to stay limp, but it was hard to do. He fought down his blush when he realized he was being carried bridal style.

"Can I check my emails while I'm in his room?"

"Sure. Just try not to wake him up. He's had a few hard days and hasn't slept very much."

"Understood." With that said, Lavi started to carry Allen up the stairs into his room.

Once in Allen's bedroom, Lavi laid Allen on his bed carefully and shut the door. He expected the red-head to go to his computer then, but instead he sat on the foot of the bed and chuckled.

"I know you're awake, Beansprout."

This time, Allen didn't fight to keep his blush down. He peeked open his eyes to see Lavi grinning at him. He smiled sheepishly. "How'd you know?"

"You can't sneeze when you're asleep. It's impossible because the muscles that cause you to sneeze are at rest when you're sleeping," he said in a know-it-all voice.

"So, what, you're an expert on sneezing now?" Allen teased.

"Nope, just a guy who drinks Snapple," Lavi said. "When I was in sixth grade I had a Snapple and the cap said that. Snapple hasn't lied to me yet, so I'm going with it."

"You remember what a Snapple cap said from six years ago?" Allen asked.

For some reason, Lavi froze. For a split second, he looked nervous, but any traces of it were gone in a flash. He smiled and scratched the back of his head. "I know, weird, right?"

Allen almost asked why Lavi had acted so strangely, but Lavi had suddenly crawled toward him so he was leaning over the smaller teen. Allen blushed when Lavi continued forward until he was straddling the white-haired boy.

"Is it true?" Lavi whispered.

"Is w-what true?" Allen stuttered.

"That you like me. You already heard my confession, so I'd like to hear your response."

Having Lavi this close to him was making Allen's heart feel like it was going to burst out of his chest. He was still half convinced that he was dreaming, but the fluttering in his stomach and chest had to be real. Didn't it?

"I . . . I . . ." Allen said with great difficulty.

Lavi smiled at Allen's nervousness and leaned down so that his forehead was resting against Allen's. "You what?"

"I . . . l-like you t-too . . . ." Allen forced out. _Why is this so hard to say? _

Lavi smiled and leaned down more so he could whisper into Allen's ear. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that," he whispered, his lips brushing against Allen's ear ever so slightly, making the white-haired boy blush even more.

"I-I said that I l-like you too," Allen said a little louder.

Lavi pulled back so he was looking at Allen in the eye and gave him a smile. "Do you mean that?" he asked sincerely.

"O-of course!" Allen exclaimed. "Why wouldn't I—" he was cut off by Lavi's lips against his own. Instantly, Allen brought his hands up to Lavi's head and wrapped his fingers into the familiar red hair. He melted into the kiss. It was a small one, a tiny gesture, but Allen never felt so good. The warmth of Lavi's lips against his own felt so right.

Carefully, almost cautiously, Lavi moved his lips against Allen's. Allen did the same and their lips moved in synch. It was overwhelming to Allen, but it was in a good way.

Finally, the two had to part for air. As they worked on catching their breaths, they stared into each other's eyes. Emerald met mercury and they were content.

Lavi smirked. "Not bad, kid," he teased.

"Oh, shut up," Allen shot back.

"Hey, that was a compliment! I've made out with some people who are terrible at kissing, and I can happily tell you that you're not on that list," Lavi said.

"I don't want to know about other people you've kissed right after we do," Allen grumbled.

"You're right, I'm such a mood killer."

"I wouldn't say that," Allen mumbled.

"Hm? Why not?"

"I could go another round. That is, if you're up to it," Allen challenged.

Lavi smile devilishly. "Oh, you're so on, Beansprout," he said as he leaned down to Allen's face once again.

"Name's Allen," Allen managed before Lavi claimed his lips. This time, instead of starting slowly like before, Lavi moved his lips faster and Allen followed suit.

After a few seconds, Lavi licked Allen's bottom lip, silently asking for entrance. Slowly, Allen granted it. He opened his mouth slightly and Lavi gently poked his tongue into his mouth. Allen gasped at the contact, but didn't break away. Instead, he hesitantly reached out to Lavi's tongue with his own.

Once their muscles made contact, Allen let out a low moan and Lavi gasped. They didn't battle for dominance, Lavi was the instigator and Allen was just fine with that. Lavi was mapping out every inch of Allen's mouth, hoping to find a sensitive spot when there was a loud slam behind them.

The two were startled and separated quickly. Lavi even fell off the bed out of surprise. Both boys had flushed faces and kiss-bruised lips. When they looked behind them to find the source of the noise, they saw Cross standing in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest.

"Fuckin' knew it," he grunted. He glared at Lavi. "I could have you charged with statutory rape, so you better keep your paws off him when I'm around." Lavi nodded dumbly in response and Cross turned around to walk out. "You owe me twenty bucks, Neah!" he yelled as he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Allen was a mess of emotions. He was mortified that Cross had just caught him making out with Lavi. He was happy that the said red-head had not only accepted his feelings, but also returned them. At the same time, he was still majorly depressed that he was moving in just a few short days, and also guilty that he still hadn't told Lavi that he was leaving. As his brain tried to process all of this, Lavi started to laugh on his floor.

"What's so funny?" Allen asked.

"You're so cute when you blush! I've always wanted to tell you that, but I never could, so I guess I'm happy that I have to laugh."

Allen blinked a few times in surprise before he joined into the laughter. He didn't exactly know why he was laughing. But it felt good. It was nice to laugh after weeks of being miserable. And the sound of Lavi's laugh was infectious.

After the laughter died down, Lavi stood up from his spot on the ground and sat behind Allen, wrapping his arms around the boy as he did so. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of Allen's neck and smiled when Allen gasped at the contact. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" Lavi asked.

"N-no. I-it's just that I have to t-tell you something," Allen said. _Here goes nothing. _

Lavi backed up immediately. "Allen Walker, I swear to God if you tell me you really don't like me after what we just did, I will rape you," Lavi said seriously.

"W-what? No! It's something else."

"Oh, okay. What is it?"

Allen took a deep breath. "I'm moving."

"You're what?"

"I'm moving."

"Moving what?" Lavi asked.

"Me. Moving. To Oregon."

Lavi was silent. Allen closed his eyes and waited for the red-head to freak out. He knew that he wasn't going to be happy. Suddenly, he felt Lavi's arms wrap around him once again.

"When?" Lavi whispered.

"On the fifteenth. . . . In four days. . . ."

"Then I guess I'm not leaving your side for the next four days, huh?" Lavi said gently.

Allen turned his head to face Lavi, only to have the red-head kiss him. "It's okay. I'll do whatever I can to make Neah let you stay," he whispered.

At those words, Allen found hope again. He smiled and kissed his boyfriend, letting all negative thoughts melt away.

**[Note from the Author: Hey! There's Chapter Sixteen for you guys. I hope you guys liked it. I almost made this chapter be the three days Allen spent in his room and make it all depressing, but I decided against it. It's about time I threw in some more romance ;D You're welcome. **

**Please leave me a review! If you liked it, tell me why. If you hated it, feel free to tell me why, I won't be offended. If you thought it was bleh, tell me what I could do to improve. Please review! I love feedback from my readers! It'll make my day if you write me a review ^^ **

**Little Lavi will be up tomorrow. Sorry, was too sick to get it done tonight. **

**Now that this is finished, I'm off to do what I've wanted to do all day: watch The Walking Dead and sleep! Chao~!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001] **


	17. Chapter 17

**[Note from the Author: Hello there my beautiful readers! Wow, I kinda fell off the face of the Earth for awhile there, huh? I'M SO SORRY! I was grounded. . . again. . . Ugh! Anyway, let's move on to the fic, shall we? =)**

***Tears up* I can't believe it. . . 150+ Reviews! THANK YOU EVERYONE! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! Thank you for all your support and feedback. I'm glad that you guys like this story, really, I am. I know this probably sounds weird, but I think writing this FanFic helped me out in reality. As I've said before, this story is inspired by true events because I've been where Allen was. While writing this, I was struggling with my own Lavi and Tyki, so this was a great way to vent. Sadly, my Lavi and I didn't make it like in the Fic, but that's okay. I've almost gotten over her. . .**

**Enough about me, I'm moving on to you guys! I'm going to reply to all the reviews from over the week. If you've reviewed the last chapter, your name will be here. They will be at the end of the chapter so I don't give anything away in my responses xD So look forward to those ^^**

**Now let's get on to the story, shall we?**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it.**

**Happy Readings!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((Note from the Beta: _

_She failed to mention this chapter's length. Almost 9000 words. I suppose that would make up for the delay, huh? ^^_

_She failed to mention there's also Twilight in this chapter's story. I'm just throwin' it out there now if Twilight isn't your cup of tea._

_Enjoy. _

—_Zamizu))_

Chapter Seventeen

Allen and Lavi spent the remainder of the afternoon together. After being caught by Cross, the two kept a safe distance from one another because neither of them doubted that the older man would indeed try to have Lavi arrested just to be an ass. They stayed at Allen's house because Lavi had insisted that his house wouldn't be a good place to be for awhile, seeing as he had managed to tick off his grandfather. Nothing new there.

The topic of Allen moving in a few days wasn't brought up at all since Allen had first informed Lavi of it earlier that morning. Instead, the new couple acted as if everything was normal. As if they weren't going to be separated in only a few days' time.

At about three thirty, Allen was cleaning the dishes from a late lunch. As he put the final plate in the dishwasher, Lavi walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around the younger teen's waist and pressed his chin into the crook of the other's neck.

"Have you checked the time recently?" Lavi asked softly, his breath hot on Allen's neck.

"No why?" Allen questioned as he fought down the blush that threatened to coat his cheeks.

"Because according to the clock, Black Order High will let out in about fifteen minutes," Lavi said as he checked his watch on his right wrist without letting go of his hold on Allen. "Whaddaya say we abduct our friends and go somewhere? Since you're only here till Sunday, we should make every day you're here count, right?"

"I guess so," Allen agreed.

"Awesome. Now, let's go and kidnap our Asian friends, shall we?" Lavi asked before pecking Allen's cheek.

"Sounds like a plan," Allen said. He broke away from Lavi's grasp and closed the dishwasher and set the dial on high. Once the machine hummed to life, he turned around and took Lavi's hand, intertwining their fingers together.

Lavi smiled and followed his boyfriend. The two walked to the front door and slid on their winter clothes. Allen slipped on his black coat with simple buttons, his best black leather gloves, and his gray scarf while Lavi threw on his brown leather coat and orange scarf.

"Uncle Neah! I'm going out!" Allen called as he opened the door. It felt weird to have to announce he was leaving, seeing as Cross never really cared when he left, but he knew that Neah would flip if he didn't.

"Be home by nine!" Neah called back. That was another thing that Allen wasn't used to—curfew. It was going to take some major adjusting having Neah as his guardian.

Allen and Lavi stepped out of the house and into the cold snow outside. They held hands and began their trek to school. Allen tightened his grip on the red-head's hand and leaned his head on his shoulder. He inhaled Lavi's comforting scent as they kept walking, enjoying the fact that Lavi was beside him.

The trip was short and comfortably silent. By the time they reached Black Order High, they only had to wait five minutes for the final bell to ring. Since Allen was officially unenrolled to the school and Lavi was suspended until Monday, the two were not allowed on school grounds and had to wait ten feet away from the property. They leaned against the tall pine tree that stood proudly on the borderline of the school grounds and public area.

"Ready to see Lenalee and Kanda?" Allen asked.

Lavi nodded vigorously. "You have no idea! Turns out, it's not as fun to call the guard Yuu-chan as it is Kanda," he said with his signature goofy grin and scratched the back of his neck.

Allen rolled his eyes. "Only you could come up with something like that."

"You know it," Lavi replied while giving Allen a thumbs up.

"Tell me why I bother being your friend again?" Allen asked sarcastically.

"'Cause you love me and you don't know what you'd do without me?"

"Meh, maybe," Allen teased. _He's spot on, _he thought with a small smile.

Lavi scoffed and said, "Psh, I see how it is. Love you too."

"Of course you do," Allen replied and stuck out his tongue playfully.

Lavi opened his mouth to throw back a retort, but the final bell rang and students began to flow out of the front entrance. The duo separated from the tree to get a better look and kept their eyes open for their friends. They scanned the sea of students carefully. They were so absorbed in their search, that they hadn't noticed that they were being approached by someone.

"Allen?" a familiar female voice asked.

Allen turned to his right to see Road standing in front of him. She was wearing her usual purple skirt and stripped stockings beneath her favorite black coat. She looked like she always did, but she seemed different. Her normal confident stature was replaced by a nervous, shaky stance, and her eyes were watering.

"Hey, Road," Allen greeted warmly. He knew how much he had hurt her. It was one of the things that constantly circled his head while he was in the hospital along with how much he had wanted to see Lavi. He felt extremely bad for the breaking her heart in such a terrible way. "Did you have a good day at school?"

Instead of getting an answer, Allen was tackled into the snow bank behind the tree by his ex girlfriend. "Road?"

"I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry, Allen!" Road sobbed.

"Sorry? For what?" Allen asked calmly, as if Road hadn't just tackled him to the ground and was currently lying on top of him.

"I was so mean to you! I hurt you! It's my fault Tyki attacked you!" she wailed. Tears began to stream down her pretty cheeks. She sniffed before burying her face into Allen's chest.

Allen felt a pang of sadness in his heart for Road. Although they were no longer a couple and Allen was now with Lavi, he still liked her and wished to see her happy. Seeing her cry like this made Allen want to hug her, and so he did. He wrapped his arms around her and used his left hand to stroke her soft hair. "It's not your fault," he assured her. "It's okay. I'm fine, see?"

Road looked up from Allen's chest and met his eyes. Her golden irises bore into his mercury ones. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks and she hiccupped. "No," she said. "No. It's not okay. You were hurt so bad, Allen. It's all my fault. If I hadn't picked a fight with you and told Tyki about it, none of your pain would have happened. I'm sorry."

Allen sat up enough to pull the girl into his lap and held her tightly. "No, Road, you're not to blame. I was the one who was stupid that night." Allen really believed what he was telling Road. He didn't believe that she was the reason that Tyki had attacked him. It may have fueled his anger, but it more than likely wasn't the main reason. A big reason, perhaps, but not the main one.

Road sniffled and held tightly to Allen's coat. "Y-you really don't blame me?" she asked timidly.

"Of course not. Don't apologize, there's nothing to forgive. If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I treated you so poorly on Christmas. I'm deeply sorry, Road. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." He hoped that she would forgive him. He really wanted to continue being friends with her and didn't want her to hate him.

Road gave Allen a small smile before pressing a small kiss to his lips. "Like you said, there's nothing to forgive," she replied softly.

Allen heard Lavi give a low growl to his left, but he ignored it and stroked Road's hair gently. He stood up and helped Road to her feet as well. Once standing, Allen hugged Road. "I'm glad you don't hate me."

"How could I hate you?" Road asked, and Allen chuckled at the girl's response, then let her go.

Lavi, being the jealous boyfriend he is, walked over to Allen and linked his arms around his waist, making Allen roll his eyes. "Lavi, calm yourself."

Lavi scoffed. "My boyfriend's ex girlfriend just kissed him and you want me to calm down? Don't think so." He gave Road a look that screamed _Screw off!_ over Allen's shoulder.

Road blinked. "Wait, you two are together now?"

Allen nodded sheepishly and Lavi pecked him on the cheek. "Sorry, chika, but he's mine now," Lavi said.

Allen elbowed Lavi in the ribs. "Idiot," he muttered.

Lavi instantly released Allen and held a hand to his injured ribs. "Oww~. What the hell was that for, Beansprout?"

"For the last time, my name is Allen. And don't be mean!" Allen growled. Between being called that damned nickname and Lavi being so uncaring towards Road, he was starting to feel irked.

"I wasn't, I was just telling her that you're mine now. I could've told her to screw off, but I didn't." This comment earned the red-head another jab. "Mmm, I like 'em feisty," Lavi said with a smirk.

Allen grumbled. He enjoyed the attention he was getting, but he didn't like the hurt that was visible in Road's features. He walked over to the girl and gave her a small smile. "I'm sorry for moving on so quickly. I hope this won't damage our friendship." The thought of losing Road all together after making up with her made Allen nervous.

Road smiled sadly at her ex. "Of course not. I'm glad you're happy, Allen."

"Thank you," Allen said, inwardly sighing in relief. "I hope you'll find someone who makes you happy as well." Allen gave her a final hug—ignoring the heated glares on his back from Lavi—and suddenly he heard someone yell.

"Allen! Lavi!" Lenalee screeched as she ran Allen's way. There was a blur of green sequins before the white-haired teen was glomped from the side, causing the two girls and him to all tumble into the snow like a row of dominos.

"Ow," Allen muttered. "What is it with girls and tackling me?" he questioned as he rubbed the side of his head that had connected with the ground during his fall.

"It's because you're so damn small, Beansprout," Kanda grunted as he walked up to join the group.

"C'mon Yuu, he's not small. He's fun sized!" Lavi said with a laugh.

"Shut up, stupid rabbit!" Allen yelled. Everyone (minus the sour-puss Kanda) started laughing at the nostalgic conversation and Allen felt his chest lighten enormously. He knew that he had missed his friends while he was away, but he never imagined that he had missed them this much.

Lavi helped Allen to his feet who then helped the girls up. When everyone was on their feet once more, Lavi threw his arm over Kanda's shoulder and the other around Allen's waist. "Group hug~!" he exclaimed.

"Hell no. Release me, rabbit," Kanda growled.

"C'mon, Yuu, don't ruin the fun!" Lavi exclaimed.

"Call me by my first name again and I will gut you with my Mugen."

Allen snickered, his face smug. "You mean that lame sword that your dad confiscated?"

"Shut the fuck up, Beansprout!"

Allen fumed. "My name is Allen! A-L-L-E-N! It's not that hard, BaKanda!"

"That's it!" Kanda reached over Lavi and grabbed Allen by the collar of his shirt and yanked the small teen off his feet. Allen didn't flinch or even blink. He was used to much worse from Cross and he didn't feel like giving Kanda any satisfaction by giving off any reactions. Instead, he simply glared at the navy-haired teen. Kanda reached his other hand back in position to punch Allen in the face, but Lenalee caught his fist before he had the chance to swing.

"Let him go," Lenalee scolded. Kanda rolled his eyes before dropping Allen back onto the ground and Lenalee sighed. "Jeez, Kanda, calm yourself. This is supposed to be a happy reunion, not a WWE fight."

"Yeah, Yuu!" Lavi interjected childishly.

Lenalee glared at the red-head. "That goes for you too! Quit taunting him!"

Lavi grinned and removed his arm that was still slung around Kanda's shoulder before he decided to get homicidal.

Allen sighed in frustration, still worked up from his almost-fight with Kanda. He turned to say something to get a rise out of the samurai-wannabe, but Road interrupted him.

"Allen, it was nice to talk to you again, but I have to head home."

Allen nodded. "Oh, okay. I'll see you later, right?"

Road beamed. "Definitely. Bye, Allen~!" With a final wave goodbye, Road began to run home.

"'Bout time she leaves," Lavi muttered.

Allen spun around and glared at his boyfriend. "Why? Why would you say something like that?"

Lavi shrugged and said, "Nothin' really." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away in the other direction, as if the trees in the distance were more interesting than the current conversation he was having with Allen.

Allen folded his arms over his chest. "So, you're just being an ass?"

"Allen! Language!" Lenalee scolded.

The white-haired teen rolled his eyes. "It's not a curse word; it's in the bible."

"Shorty's gotta point there," Lavi pointed out.

"Don't change the subject!" Allen yelled. He was annoyed enough with Lavi's behavior towards Road that he ignored the fact that he had just been called "Shorty."

Lavi sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just that I don't like seeing you be so nice to your ex. Think about it, how would you feel if I was acting like you were towards Road to Tyki?"

"But you hate Tyki, don't you?" Lenalee asked.

"Not the point," Lavi said. "Think about it, Allen. I don't think you'd be very happy either."

Allen paused and took in his boyfriend's words. Of course, once again, the rabbit was right. If Lavi had been as friendly to Tyki as he was to Road at this time, he would freak out. And if Tyki were to kiss him, Allen knew that he would probably go into a rage. Now that he thought about it, Lavi handled that very well. Realizing this, Allen wrapped his arms around Lavi and nuzzled his face into the red-head's chest. "I'm sorry, Lavi. I didn't think of it like that. You're right. If I saw you being nice to Tyki I would probably do more than just make a few snide comments. I'm sorry."

Lavi chuckled and returned the embrace. "It's all good, Sprout."

Allen's eye twitched at the nickname, but he let it slide. This time.

Lenalee squealed, "Oh my God, so you two are together now?"

"Yup!" Lavi said with a grin.

She clapped her hands happily. "I'm so happy for you guys! Congratulations!"

"Heh, thanks, Lena."

"We need to celebrate!" She pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial while holding up a finger, signaling her friends to wait. She held the phone to her ear before saying, "Brother? This is Lenalee." An extremely animated voice could be heard from the other line, but Allen couldn't make out what was being said.

"Yes, yes, I know I'm late, but that's why I called. I'm going out with my friends tonight. I'll be home around eight thirty-ish," Lenalee said.

Over-exuberant cries were easily distinguished, making Lenalee sigh in exasperation. Allen felt bad for the Chinese girl that she had to deal with such a spazz for a brother.

"Brother, if you don't calm down right now, I will sabotage your newest Komurin." This made her brother shut up because Allen couldn't hear anymore squabbles from the other line. "No, I won't be doing anything dangerous. . . . We're just going out for a celebratory dinner. . . . Okay, I'll call you when I'm heading home. . . . Love you too, Brother. Bye."

Kanda rolled his eyes as Lenalee hung up her phone. "Weirdo bastard and his sister complex," he muttered.

Lenalee shot him a glare. "He's just a bit over-protective."

"Yeah, like Allen's uncle," Lavi said.

"Uncle Neah is not over-protective!" Allen denied.

"Uh huh, suuure," Lavi said sarcastically.

"Quit arguing over pointless shit," Kanda growled, making the duo go silent. He turned on his heel and started to walk away. "I'll be waiting in the car for your directions," he told Lenalee as he left.

"What's with him?" Lavi asked.

Lenalee beamed. "That's his way of surrendering and saying he'll go to dinner with us without a fight. So where do you want to go? I'll buy."

"Lenalee, there's no need, I can pay," Allen offered.

"No, this is my treat. Now where do you want to go?"

Before Allen could reply, Lavi clamped a hand over Allen's mouth and said, "How about that Chinese buffet? It's fairly cheap and Allen can eat to his heart's content."

"Perfect!" Lenalee cried. "What should we do until dinnertime? It's only four o'clock," she said, glancing at the time on her cell phone.

"Hmm, we could always go see a movie?" Lavi suggested.

"So long as it isn't Breaking Dawn," Allen muttered.

Lavi chuckled and ruffled Allen's white hair affectionately. "Aww, c'mon, I know you liked it. Don't deny it! You were begging me to take you to part two when it comes out."

Lenalee gasped. "You guys went to see Breaking Dawn without me?"

"Sorry Lena, but I had to distract him somehow for his party," Lavi defended with his hands raised in a 'please-don't-kill-me' gesture.

"So you took him to the movie that you swore you would watch with me?" Lenalee asked with a pout and her eyes started to tear up slightly.

"Sorry! Uh, we can go to it now if you want," Lavi offered quickly.

Lenalee beamed and wiped her eyes, all signs of being sad were gone in a blink of an eye. "Great idea! Meet me at the theater, okay?" Then, she skipped off to her car where Kanda was waiting for her.

"Wow, she is an evil genius," Allen said in awe.

"Agreed." Lavi sighed and placed his intertwined hands over his head. "Great, I hated it the first time, and now I have to watch it again."

"And whose fault is that?" Allen asked as he poked Lavi in the chest.

Lavi chuckled. "We could always do something else while Lena and Yuu-chan watch the movie?" he

"Like what?" Allen questioned grumpily.

Suddenly, Lavi got a mischievous look in his eye. "We could always make out the whole time if you want," he said with a wink.

Allen's cheeks grew warm. "Why would you want to do that? That's a serious public display of affection!"

"Oh, 'cause you didn't do that at all with Road, right?"

"Sh-shut up!" Allen yelled, his blush growing more apparent.

Lavi slung his arm over the younger teen. "Ahh, you crack me up, Sprout."

Allen playfully punched Lavi in the chest. "My name is Allen."

"Oh I know, seeing as you keep reminding me on a daily basis."

"Maybe I wouldn't have to remind you if you would actually call me by my name," Allen grumbled.

"But your nicknames are so cute! And they fit you so well," Lavi said as he started walking the two towards his house to get his pick-up.

"Shut up, rabbit," Allen grumbled.

"See? You call me rabbit, so why can't I call you a name or two?"

"Because all your nicknames are offensive!"

"How so?"

"They rub my vertical challenged-ness in my face!"

"You mean your shortness?" The comment earned the red-head a heated glare from the younger teen. Lavi chuckled and kissed Allen's cheek. "You know, you're cute when you're mad."

Allen blushed. "Shut up."

Lavi beamed and lead them to his old, battered truck. The old thing was rusted and the green paint was peeling off, but Lavi loved the vehicle nonetheless. Allen went to open the passenger door, but Lavi beat him to it, swinging the door open before giving a mock bow. "Your chariot awaits, m'lady," he said.

Allen crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Lavi. "Really?"

Lavi grinned. "Of course! Ain't I a gentleman?"

"No. If anything, you're more of a clown than Mana was,"

"Was Mana a great clown?"

"Yes, he was."

"Then I'll take that as a compliment!" Lavi exclaimed while giving Allen an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Allen pinched the bridge of his nose. "You know, Lavi, I worry about you sometimes."

"Aww, you worry about me. Isn't that adorable?" Lavi asked in a mocking baby tone.

Allen rolled his eyes and said, "I meant your sanity, smart one."

"Sanity? What is this word you speak of? I have never heard of it."

"Obviously," Allen muttered.

Lavi chuckled. "Okay, okay, enough games. Get in the car or we'll be late. I don't know about you, but I'd like to live, 'cause ya'know Lena's gonna kill us if we're even a millisecond late."

Allen nodded. "Very true." Then he slid into the passenger seat of the car and began an epic battle with the stubborn seatbelt while Lavi slammed the door after him and ran around the front of the vehicle, slipping into the driver's seat.

"Buckle up," Lavi said as he clicked his seatbelt.

"I know, I know," Allen replied in an annoyed tone as he finally got the damn safety device free and clicked it into place. "I'm not a little kid." When Lavi opened his mouth to speak Allen shot him a glare. "I swear to God if you say anything about being short like one I will slam your head into the dashboard!"

Lavi closed his mouth and smiled. "Well, someone's in a testy mood~," he teased as he slid the keys into the ignition and started the car.

"Hmm, I wonder why. Maybe it has to do with a certain rabbit."

"If you mean a certain drop-dead sexy rabbit with the most amazing hair ever, then yeah."

"You really are narcissistic, you know that?"

Lavi nodded. "Yup! And you know you wouldn't have me any other way," he said as he pulled the car out of the Bookman driveway and started towards the cinema.

Allen raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that, Lavi?"

"Yes, I am. You wouldn't be with me if you wanted me to change. Right?"

Allen gave an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, I guess."_Once again, he's spot on._

"Thought so. Now how about some music?" Lavi asked and pointed to his iPod that was among a mess of tangled wires and plugged into some old speakers for a make-shift sound system on the dashboard. "Just hit play."

"Okay," Allen agreed as he hit the play button and a steady beat and whistling filled the car.

"_Oh, yeah. Oh. Just shoot for the stars if it feels right and aim for my heart. If you feel like, and take me away, make it okay. I swear I'll behave. You wanted control, so I waited. I put on a show, now I make it. You say I'm a kid, my ego is big. I don't give a shit. And it goes like this. Take my by the tongue and I'll know you. Kiss me till you're drunk and I'll show you. You want the moves like Jagger. I got the moves like Jagger. I got the moves like Jagger."_

"Since when do you listen to 'Moves Like Jagger'?" Allen asked.

Lavi shrugged. "The song's catchy, okay? Sue me. Change it if you want."

"Fine, I will," Allen said as he hit next again and smiled when he recognized the song was by Breaking Benjamin.

"_I have nothing left to give. I have found the perfect end. You were made to make it hurt. Disappear into the dirt. Carry me to Heaven's arms. Light the way and let me go. Take the time to take my breath. I will end where I began. And I will find the enemy within. Because I can feel it crawl beneath my skin. Dear agony, just let go of me. Suffer slowly. Is this the way it's got to be? Dear agony."_

"Here's the good music," Allen said.

"What? Dude, this song is so depressing. New song!" Lavi argued as he hit the next button. The music started out semi-calm until an evil laugh played followed by heavy rock instrumentals.

"_Devin won't go to Heaven. She's just another lost soul about to be mine again. Leave her. We will receive her. It is beyond your control will you ever meet again. Devin lies beyond this portal. Take the word of one immortal. Give your soul to me. For eternity. Release your life to begin another time with her. End your grief with me. There's another way. Release your life. Take your place inside the fire with her!"_

"And you said 'Dear Agony' was depressing," Allen grumbled.

"It is!" Lavi said as he drummed out the beat of the song on the steering wheel.

"But this song is about suicide and you're listening to it just fine."

Lavi rolled his eye and said, "Fine, I'll change it." He reached over to flip to the next song.

"_You're so hypnotizing. Could you be the devil? Could you be an angel? Your touch magnetizing. Feels like I am floating, leaves my body glowing. They say be afraid. You're not like the others, futuristic lover. Different DNA. They don't understand you. You're from a whole other world. A different dimension. I open my eyes. I'm ready to go lead me into the lig—"_

Allen turned off the musical device quickly, refusing to allow the song that would more than likely be stuck in his head for the rest of the day to progress any further. "Really, Lavi? Katy Perry? You've got to be kidding me."

"Blame Lenalee," Lavi grumbled. "When I gave her my iPod on Thanksgiving she put a bunch of shit on it. Hence the Katy Perry and LeAnn Rimes."

Allen cocked his head to the side in confusion. "LeAnn Rimes? Who's that?"

"Ya'know, the blonde chick who sung at the bar at the end of 'Coyote Ugly'."

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew that."

Lavi sighed. "Again, blame Lena. We're here." The red-head maneuvered his car into the parking lot of the cinema and parked next to Lenalee's sleek teal car.

Allen unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped out of the car with Lavi following behind him. They walked over to Lenalee who was currently explaining the situation to Kanda. Lenalee had changed her clothes since they had seen her last. She was still wearing her magenta skinny jeans with black blotches scattered around, but instead of wearing her green sequined shirt, she was now wearing a white shirt that read, "Team Edward" topped with the same black puffy coat. Somehow, she had managed to wrestle Kanda into a matching shirt over his gray long sleeved one which couldn't be seen very well through his crossed arms.

"I am _not _watching Breaking Dawn," Kanda grumbled, readjusting his arms to make sure that his shirt was as much out of view as possible.

"Yes you are! Come on! It's supposed to be the best Twilight movie yet!" Lenalee said, waving her arms.

"If you ask me, I think they all suck monkey balls," Lavi said as he and Allen approached their friends. Lavi looked at Kanda and smirked at his shirt and the navy-haired teen shot him back a glare with so much hate, Allen wouldn't have been surprised if Lavi's hair caught on fire any moment.

Lenalee glared at Lavi and placed her hands on her hips. "You know what, Lavi? Some people actually like Twilight and don't like to hear people insult its genius all the time."

"Yeah? And some people see it for what it really is. A whinny ass girl who falls for a sparkling pussy of a vampire instead of the obviously cooler and much hotter werewolf," Lavi said as he poked Lenalee's forehead playfully.

"Ah, so you're for team Jacob," Lenalee said with a giggle. "I guess I can see why you're upset now."

Lavi face palmed and Allen started to laugh hysterically. Even Kanda gave a microscopic smile at Lavi's expense. Lenalee grinned and took Lavi and Kanda's hands and began to tow them into the cinema. "Let's do this, boys."

The lobby of the cinema was huge. The ceiling curved into a dome above and was painted black. The amazing thing about the ceiling was that there were small bulbs worked into the ceiling and would glow. If one would watch long enough, you could see streaks of light zoom by, just like a shooting star. The entire top of the cinema looked like a giant sky at midnight. The unmistakable scent of overly priced buttered popcorn wafted through the air and chimes from the arcade games could be heard.

Once inside, Allen made a beeline for the candy counter. The glass displays full of candy made the teen's mouth water. By the time his friends had caught up with him, he had ordered three large popcorns, two boxes of Sour Patch Kids, a box of Milk Duds, a bag of Skittles, and two large Cokes. "I have my order, what do you guys want?" Allen asked, ignoring the stunned faces of the employees behind the counter.

"Be sure you save some room for dinner," Lenalee reminded the youngest of the group as she walked up to him. "You don't want to miss out on dinner, do you?"

"Don't worry, Lenalee," Allen said with a giant grin. "This _is _me making room." He rubbed his stomach and chuckled.

Someone gasped in disbelief behind the candy counter, but the group ignored them. They were used to Allen's monstrous appetite by now. Lavi and Lenalee walked over to the glass displays and began to think about what they wanted while the clerks watched them with horrified expressions, probably expecting them to order the same amount as Allen.

"Hmm, I want a large sprite, a medium popcorn, and some Mike 'n Ikes," Lavi told the cashier.

"I'll have a small popcorn, some Skittles and a medium Dr. Pepper please," Lenalee ordered for herself and turned to face Kanda who just glared at the floor. "And he won't have anything," she added.

"How can you go to the movies and not blow a bunch of cash on munchies?" Lavi asked Kanda as he fished his wallet out of his back pocket to pay for his treats.

"Easily," Kanda replied as he glared at an employee who was smirking at his shirt.

"That's okay," Lenalee said. She walked over to Kanda and took his hand and leaned her head on his shoulder before saying, "He'll just mooch off me."

"Aww, how sweet," Allen teased as he loaded his loot into the large pockets of his coat. His boxed candy fit easily enough, but juggling his popcorn and sodas with only two hands proved to be challenging.

Lavi picked up his own snacks before walking over to Allen and plucking one of the Cokes from his hand. "Let me help ya out, Sprout."

Allen's eye twitched at the name, but he gave Lavi his sodas anyway. Now with his load lightened, he reached into his jean pocket and pulled out his movie ticket and his friends did the same. The group walked along the black carpet with stars that matched the theme of the lobby to the direction of the theaters. Once in the hallway, he handed his ticket to a clerk who was standing at a podium. The clerk glared at Lenalee as the Chinese girl handed over her ticket and Allen couldn't understand why. Then he noticed that the employee was wearing a black shirt with "I *heart* Jacob" in big white letters. Once Lenalee noticed the shirt, she returned the glare. It was a Twi-hard showdown, and Allen was scared for his life. Lavi must have caught on to the impending fight to the death because he quickly grabbed Lenalee's forearm and tugged her into the theater with Allen and Kanda following them.

Walking into the huge room filled to the brim with strangers made Allen nervous. He never liked people and ever since the student body at Black Order High found out about his deformed arm, he relearned why he feared people in the first place. He clenched his left fist tightly around his popcorn bag, wishing he could use his other arm around it.

Lavi noticed Allen's shift in attitude and quickly scanned the room for the nearest open seats. "Hey, Lena, where do you want to sit? There's two seats open in the third row and two open in the back row," Lavi said as he used his head to point.

"Kanda and I will take the third row; you and Allen go for the back row," Lenalee answered as she started tugging Kanda toward their seats. "Remember to keep your behavior PG, guys," she said with a wink as she walked off.

Allen blushed furiously at Lenalee's comment, but Lavi just laughed out loud. "No promises there!" he called after the girl as he started to tug Allen to their seats. Once at their spot, Lavi gently pushed Allen into the seat next to the wall while he sat down between him and a girl that looked about fourteen years old who wore a shirt that said, 'Screw Bella! Jacob x Edward Forever!'.

_I like that girl_, Allen thought to himself while he began to tear open his first box of Sour Patch Kids. He dumped a small amount of the sour covered treats into the palm of his hand and dumped them into his mouth. The sour crystals made his taste buds dance happily and the sweetness that followed was delicious. After his first mouthful, he skipped the dumping them into his hand step and tilted the box to his mouth and let large amounts of the candy fall into his mouth.

"Sheesh, Allen. Save some for the movie, why don'tcha?"

Allen finished the large glob of jellied mush in his mouth before he replied. "No. I want to eat it now, so leave me alone."

Lavi shook his head. "All right, whatever you say."

Allen smiled and nodded when the already dim lights started to go out slowly as the movie began. Allen held back a groan as the movie started; he really didn't want to be stuck here and watch this again. Like Lavi had said earlier outside of the school, he had hated it the first time and now he was stuck having to watch it again. _Lenalee had better love me for this, _Allen thought grimly as he reached his hand into his popcorn bag and shifted himself so he was sitting comfortably in his chair. _Maybe I can take a nap._

A little while later, just as Bella and Edward were dancing after the wedding, Allen felt Lavi grab his hand. He looked over at his red-headed boyfriend curiously to see a mischievous gleam in his single emerald eye.

"You bored, Allen?" Lavi asked with a smirk. In the dark, Lavi looked different. Maybe that was because he still hadn't shaved and looked a lot older. Or maybe it was because Allen had never had the chance to see Lavi this close in the dark before except when he was sleeping beside him.

"Er, not really," Allen lied, knowing what Lavi had in mind to cure their boredom.

Lavi's smirk grew in size. "Hmm, you sure about that?" He lifted his hand from Allen's and stroked Allen's cheek.

It took all of Allen's self control to not lean into the touch. _Don't encourage him, _Allen told himself inwardly and turned back to the screen. Bella was now talking with Jacob as they danced in the shadows.

"Oh Allen~," Lavi whispered. Allen couldn't hold back the blush that spread itself over his cheeks when he realized that Lavi was leaning extremely close to him.

"Lavi, we're in public. No," Allen whispered.

"But Allen~, you know you want it~," Lavi persuaded.

"No," Allen said, but his voice wasn't as stern as before. He felt his resolve slowly crumbling as Lavi continued to lean closer to him. The red-head brought his hands up and put them on either side of Allen's face, holding him gently.

"C'mon, you don't really mean that do you?" Lavi asked.

"Y-yes?" Allen managed despite his nervousness. He mentally kicked himself for letting his answer sound like a question.

Lavi leaned in closer so his lips were only a hair from his boyfriend's. "Are you sure? Because I don't think you are."

Allen shivered as Lavi's warm breath hit his lips. In all honesty, he did want this. He wanted nothing more than to kiss Lavi, his fluttering stomach confirmed it. _But I'm in public! I can't do something like kiss another guy here! Can I . . . ?_"N-no. Not here," Allen said, shaking his head slightly.

Lavi kept his grip on Allen's face gentle but firm. "Too bad, because I want it," he said before connecting their lips.

Allen melted into the action and gave up trying to struggle. Instead, he let everything around him except Lavi fade out. He could taste Sprite on Lavi's tongue as it entered his mouth. He wasn't that accustomed with kissing in such a way yet, but he did what he thought was right. He moved his lips against Lavi's with the same speed that the red-head had set and tentatively reached out with his tongue to his partner's.

After a few more moments, Allen had completely lost the ability to think past the sensations that were building up between him and Lavi. He was no longer conscious of his actions and just let himself go, allowing his natural instincts to take over. Suddenly, he could feel Lavi's hand slowly slipping up his shirt. . . .

"Kyaa!"

The two halted and turned around to see the girl sitting beside Lavi was covering her blushing face with her hands, but a huge grin could be seen between her fingers. Lavi gave her a sheepish smile and Allen looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stop you!" she whispered in a flustered matter. "It's just that I've never seen real life yaoi before," she said.

Lavi chuckled quietly, making sure to keep his voice down to not bring any more attention to himself than he had already attracted. "So you're a yaoi fangirl?"

The girl nodded her head eagerly. "Most definitely."

"Are you the type who only reads the smutty kind?" Lavi asked playfully, wriggling his eyebrows in the process.

The girl blushed and averted her gaze slightly. "No. I mean, I do like to read those, but that's not it. I like knowing that everyone can find someone they love and be happy with, gay people included."

Allen's heart swelled at the girl's words. This wasn't the typical perverted yaoi fangirl like the others he had met before. She was someone who generally cared about love, and he respected her for that. Looking at Lavi, Allen could tell that Lavi was thinking the same thing.

"Anyway, sorry to disturb your moment. Don't mind me," she said.

Lavi chuckled and threw his arm around Allen's shoulder. "You don't mind an audience, do you? We could even charge a fee if you'd like," he said jokingly. "Between my drop-dead sexiness and your irresistible adorableness, we could make a fortune."

Allen smacked Lavi in the chest and looked away while his cheeks grew even warmer. _Is it possible to die from blushing too much?_

"Oh, so you want to add a little kink in there, huh? I didn't know you were like that, Allen," Lavi whispered. The playful spark in his eye was visible, even in the dark room.

"We are done with conversation," Allen muttered. He could feel Lavi shaking with laughter beside him and couldn't help but chuckling a little himself. He leaned against Lavi's shoulder and went back to watching the movie and chomping on his snacks.

To Allen's surprise, Lavi didn't try anything for the remainder of the movie. Instead, the red-head was content with holding his boyfriend in his arm and munched on his Mike 'n Ikes. Once the movie ended with Bella snapping open her eyes to reveal her red newborn vampire eyes, the fans gasped at the ending and he and Lavi sighed in relief that they no longer had to sit through the film. As the credits started rolling, the lights dimmed back on and the people in the theater started to shuffle around as they prepared to leave while chattering about how they can't wait for the next movie.

Allen stood up and crumpled two of his three popcorn bags into a ball and smashed his empty candy boxes together for easy clean up. Lavi picked up his half empty bag of popcorn and box of Mike 'n Ikes and stuffed them into his pocket while chugging the last of his Sprite. The two walked out of the seats and to the garbage can next to the exit of the theater.

"Well, that was a complete waste of two hours of my life," Lavi grumbled as he tossed away his empty cup.

"Agreed," Allen said as he threw away his heap of trash. The two stepped out of the theater and leaned against the wall parallel of the exit as they waited for Lenalee and Kanda to come out.

"I can't believe it!" Lenalee cried as she walked out with Kanda in tow. "That was amazing! Almost as good as the book!"

"Che."

Lenalee huffed. "Guys don't understand the beauty of Stephanie Meyer's work." She pulled Kanda over to where Lavi and Allen were waiting and smiled. "So how did you to boys like the movie? Did you even watch it or were you too busy entertaining yourselves?"

Allen pulled at the collar of his shirt nervously, hoping he wasn't blushing again while Lavi simply chuckled and responded, "That's classified information, my dear." He made the motion of zipping his upturned lips.

"So in other words, you were either rejected or caught?" Lenalee asked mockingly.

Lavi sputtered and Allen burst out laughing. "You know us so well, Lenalee," Allen said.

"I know." Lenalee pulled out her purple phone and looked down at the time. "It's six thirty now, so is everyone ready for dinner?"

"Yes please!" Allen exclaimed.

"Er, Allen, you just ate two bags of popcorn and three boxes of candy," Lavi pointed out.

"So? I'm hungry now. Like I said when we first came in here, that was me saving room for dinner. So let's go!" he yelled as he grabbed Lavi's hand and started to tug the red-head out of the theater into the parking lot. He could've sworn he heard Lenalee say something about him and Lavi being a cute couple and smiled to himself.

Allen pulled Lavi out through the iced over parking lot into Lavi's car. The inside of the pick-up was cold, but Lavi started up the car and it slowly began to warm up. "Here," Lavi said as he handed Allen his left over movie snacks. "Put these in the back for me, will ya?"

"Okay." Allen took Lavi's food plus his own and placed them on the back seat of the truck. As he was about to lean back into the passenger seat, his eye caught a Hot Topic bag. He wondered why Lavi had a Hot Topic bag in his car when he remembered that he had shopped at Hot Topic for Christmas gifts and never took them out of the car. Allen grabbed the handles of the bag and plopped back into his seat. "Look what I found," he told Lavi.

"Eh? What's that?" Lavi asked as he started to fiddle with his iPod.

"It's the Christmas gifts I bought for everyone." Allen shuffled through the bag and saw Lenalee's belts, Kanda's wallet chain, and Road's tee shirt.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me that I still have to deliver my presents to everyone," Lavi said. He smirked before adding, "You get two of them, ya'know."

Allen sighed. "I know, you told me this already. I just hope that they're not as expensive as Timcanpy was."

"Maaaybe, maybe not," Lavi joked. "By the way, where is that little golden devil?"

Allen answered, "He's back at home with Uncle Neah. He wanted to inspect him to be sure that you couldn't somehow watch whatever Tim sees remotely." He looked into his bag to find the necklace that he had bought for Lavi, but couldn't seem to find it. _Hmm, where did I put that? _He backtracked his steps to December. _I was walking home from Dairy Queen and I had it in my pocket. I don't think I've taken it out since. Maybe I left them in those jeans? More than likely._

"Aha!" Lavi cried in triumph as he found the song he wanted and hit play on is iPod.

"_You've got me shaking from the way you're talking. My heart is breaking but there's no use crying. What a cyanide surprise you have left for my eyes. If I had common sense I'd cut myself or curl up and die. Sticks and stones could break my bones, but anything you say will only fuel my lungs. Don't mind us we're just spilling our guts. If this is love I don't want to be loved, you pollute the room with a filthy tongue. Watch me choke it down so I can throw it up. Don't mind us we're just spilling our guts. If this is love I don't wanna be hanging by the neck before an audience of death."_

Allen recognized the song. It was one of Lavi's favorites. The red-head began to sing along as he pulled out of the parking lot of the cinema and started towards the Chinese buffet for an interesting dinner.

**[Note from the Author: Hey-o! I hope you guys liked this chapter =) I had a lot of fun writing it. Sorry for stopping it there, but it was already over 30 pages long, so yeahh. . . ^^;**

**Okay guys, here's your responses =)**

**DGrayManFanatic: Hehe, I'm glad that the happy-ish chapter caught you off guard. I love to surprise my readers ^^ And I'm also super sad that Lavi hasn't shown up in the manga recently. If he doesn't show up soon I'm going to cry TT^TT**

**sammi117: I'm glad you thought so! I hope that this chapter lived up to your expectations and you liked it as well =D**

**EdwardElricAllenWalker: No, thank you for reading and reviewing. Did you see The Walking Dead last week? They brought in Michonne! ^^ And the zombie Shane from the week before scared the crap out of me! O.O Hehe, I can't wait for the fall season premier. Thanks again for reading and reviewing~!**

**sweetkakes35: Aww, thank you! It means a lot to me that you love it~! I try to stray away from the predictable, because who wants to read something they've already read, right? I hope I'm doing okay ^^;**

**Hanashi o suru: I'm glad I made you laugh ^^ That's like the best thing anyone can tell me, because I know I'm not funny, but I wish I was =P So thanks!**

**Kuraihanax3: No, thank you for reading and reviewing. I agree, Allen and Lavi are made for each other *heart* About Neah letting Allen stay, you'll just have to keep reading ;D And thanks for reading my other works. It means so much to me~!**

**mychemicalbitchbot: Thank you for your honesty. I had the worst headache EVER while writing the last chapter so I had a hard time writing very well. I know, lame excuse, but that's all I got xD Thankfully, I was headache free (for the most part) while writing this one, so I hope it's better ^^; Thanks again for your honesty, it means so much to me.**

**Mirror Cat: I'm so glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope you liked this one as well. 'Sleeping' Allen was fun to write ^^ Thanks again for your review~!**

**MidnightAbyssx02: I'm really glad that you liked it. Aww, how can someone insult Moyashi-chan? Sad face. . . That's like insulting an adorable kitten or something like that. Hehe.**

**kh07gl: Ya'know, your reviews always make me smile. You've commented on every chapter thus far, so thank you from the bottom of my broken black heart =) Road made an appearance this chapter, I hope it was okay.**

**g: Hmm, what can I say? I don't know if you liked my last chapter or not, but thanks for the review nonetheless.**

**Allena Moyashi Walker: Thank you! I hope this chapter was worth your time and you like it ^^**

**snowflakezoey: I'm glad you like it =D Sometimes when I'm writing this I forget it's FanFiction too xD I hope you found this chapter suitable!**

**Random Stalker: Aww, thanks =3 Your words make my heart soar. Hehe. I'm so glad you picked up on the Snapple! It's a clue for later chapters ;D I got the idea from one I drank last summer and it said what Lavi's did xD They are awesome. Snapple FTW! *heart***

**Karra: No, thank you for reading and reviewing ^^ Hehe, that part was fun to write. I'm glad you were amused =D**

**SoulEaterEvansFan: Aww, thank you =3 I'm glad you like it. Of course there will be more *heart* I hope you liked this chapter as well.**

**kishimoro: Aww, Kishi, you know I love you *heart* Thanks for reviewing. Glad I made you happy, better than when you were abusing me awhile back for hurting Allen xP Hope you keep reading~!**

**And that's all for now. I hope you guys tune in for the next chapter that will hopefully be up next week ^^ Thanks for reading everyone! Reviews are appreciated. Who know, I may respond again next chapter ;D**

**Song title time! Okay, the songs were: Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5, followed by Dear Agony by Breaking Benjamin, Inside the Fire by Disturbed, E.T by Katy Perry, and finally Sarcasm by Get Scared.**

**Oh, and no, I haven't seen Breaking Dawn. I just read the summary off Wikipedia ^^ Now off to play The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword~!**

**Until Next Time!**

**~animeobsessed001]**

_((Note from the Beta: _

_All right, guys. I typically don't do the ending notes, but I feel like saying something. _

_I HATE TWILIGHT SO MUCH. I literally had to suck it up to beta that theater scene. ^^; You know, aside from the little kissing part. _

_Sorry, animeobsessed. But only for you will I edit (or read, for that matter) anything to do with Twilight. _

_Can you feel the love? I can feel the love. _

_See ya. _

—_Zamizu))_


	18. Chapter 18

**[Note from the Author: Hey there, everyone! **

**Hooray! Eighteen chapters~! I think I may just make it to twenty. I feel so accomplished! Thanks everyone for reading this far. **

**Sorry it's late, guys. I really tried. I was having some issues and they were pretty bad. There were fights and cops and sadness. . . So yeah. . . But, things are kinda better now ^^ **

**This chapter is unbeta'ed. Zamizu has been pretty busy and I didn't wanna bother him.**

**Okay, on to the fic :D**

**I don't own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori] **

Chapter Eighteen

"We're here~!" Lavi said cheerfully as he parked the car into the parking lot of China One. Lenalee pulled her car into the parking space next to the duo and everyone climbed out of their vehicles. "I heard this place has really good food," Lavi commented.

"It does," Lenalee confirmed. "There's a huge selection of food and the desserts are to die for."

Allen's mouth watered as his friends continued to talk about the delicious food that was less than thirty feet away from him. He grabbed Lavi's hand and started to tug him towards the restaurant. "Enough talk. Let's eat," he said. Lavi laughed behind him, but followed nonetheless.

The inside of the building was just like Allen had always imagined Heaven would be like. The place was huge and was separated into three areas. There was the entrance/exit, which was where Allen and his friends currently were. It was the smallest area of the restaurant, smaller than Allen's bedroom. It was decorated with wall scrolls of dragons or random Chinese characters. There was a small podium where an employee was waiting to welcome the guests. Beyond the entrance was the food area, the biggest part of the place. There were long tables filled with food parallel to one another. There was even a small grill area in the corner where one could grill their food to their standards. Finally, there was the dinning area, which was beautifully furnished. The room was dimly lit to give a peaceful feel. The tables were covered with crisp white table cloths and intricate chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The absolute best thing about the place was the wonderful aroma that made Allen's stomach growl extremely loud. Despite his snacks with the movie not long ago, he was starving and couldn't wait to dig into the food.

"Careful Allen, you're drooling," Lavi said jokingly.

"I'm hungry. What do you want from me?" Allen asked. He was bouncing where he stood as he waited for Lenalee to talk to the employee. After a moment, the employee led the friends to a square table with four chairs. Each friend took a seat as the employee took their drink orders. Lenalee ordered Dr. Pepper, Kanda jasmine tea, Lavi Sprite and Allen Coke. Once their beverages were ordered and brought to their table, Allen was finally set free to clear the place of all their food. He didn't need to be told twice. He bolted from his seat and ran to the food and began to stack plates of food sky high.

After ten minutes of searching and grabbing, Allen had successfully piled giant proportions of eggrolls, beef and broccoli, chicken wings, kung pao shrimp, hunan shrimp, crab rangoon, orange chicken, steamed dumplings, moo shu beef and pork, chicken with cashews, and fried wontons. His whole meal took up nine plates and two bowls. The young teen received many stares, but he was used to it, so he easily shrugged it off as he picked up his chopsticks and tried to decide which dish he should begin with.

Lavi laughed as Allen dug into his mountain of food. "Where the hell do you hide all that? Seriously? If I ate all that I'd be obese." Lavi had a single plate with orange chicken and vegetable medley rice.

Allen shrugged as he tore into his moo shu pork. "Dunno. Mana used to say that I have a high metabolism."

"Lucky!" Lenalee said as she picked through her chicken rice with her chopsticks. "I wish I could eat as much as you and be so skinny!"

"It's a gift." Allen continued to dig into his meal, ignoring the world around him as he savored all the tastes and textures of his food. After finishing his heaps of food, he let out a small belch and rubbed his stomach happily. "My compliments to the chef," he said.

"You're a fucking pig, moyashi," Kanda grumbled.

Allen glowered at Kanda. "You're just being a sour puss because they didn't have soba here."

"Che," Kanda replied. He continued to poke at his white rice with his chopsticks.

"Oh, Kanda, don't be like that," Lenalee said sweetly.

"Yeah, Yuu, we're supposed to be having fun here!" Lavi chimed in.

Kanda growled threateningly and Lenalee sighed. "Lavi, leave him be. We've tortured him enough for one day. I don't think I will be able to hold him back if he finally snaps."

Lavi rolled his eye. "Fine, fine. Whatever."

Allen chuckled lightly. He was really enjoying himself and wished that this night could never end. _After all, after tonight I will only have three days until I move to Oregon. . . _

"Allen? You okay?" Lenalee asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine," Allen said with a small smile. "Just thinking about some things."

"Like what?" Lenalee inquired.

Allen shrugged. "Nothing really. Just thinking about the fact that after tonight I am only going to have three days left here in Missouri and I'm wondering how I am going to live without you guys."

The table grew silent as everyone took in Allen's thought. He suddenly felt bad for bringing up something so depressing when they were supposed to be having a fun, laid back dinner. "But it's nothing to worry about," he said quickly. "We can worry about that later. You all should hurry up and eat so we can go get dessert," he added in an overly happy voice.

"Allen's right," Lavi agreed to Allen's relief. "Lena, you said that the desserts were to die for. I want to try them now. So hurt up and eat! You too, Yuu-chan."

Lenalee nodded and went back to eating while Kanda's eye twitched at his name, but he ate nonetheless. Allen shot Lavi a grateful look and the red-head nodded in response as he began to eat his own food. When everyone finished their plates, Lenalee pointed to a small table behind their table. "That's where the desserts are. Let's go."

"Yeah!" Allen said happily as he jumped out of his seat and bolted for the confections table. When he got there, he looked at all the tasty treats with a watering mouth. There were cookies and brownies and small cakes, none of them bigger than three inches. All were various flavors like chocolate, lemon, vanilla, and more. Next to the table was a soft serve machine that offered chocolate, vanilla, or mixed ice cream.

As Allen contemplated what to grab, Lavi walked behind him and grabbed a waffle cone from the stack next to the soft serve machine. "Want some ice cream, Allen?" he asked.

Allen shook his head. "No thanks. I think I'm going to stock up on some of these little chocolate cakes."

Lavi shrugged. "Your loss then," he said as he started to fill the cone with vanilla ice cream for himself.

"Ooh, they have lemon bars," Lenalee pointed out as she reached out to grab one for herself. Kanda just simply looked over all the desserts with disgust, as if they were not really delicious treats, but really some sort of thing that would be featured on Fear Factor.

"Not going to have any dessert, Yuu-chan?" Lavi asked.

Kanda's eye twitched and huffed. "I'll pass."

"Seriously, Lena. What do you see in this weirdo?" Lavi asked as he licked a bit of ice cream off his cone. "He rejects dessert for God's sake!"

Lenalee stuck her tongue out at Lavi. "You be quiet. Kanda is the best thing that has ever happened to me," she said as she walked over to Kanda and pecked him on the cheek. To Allen's surprise, Kanda blushed very slightly at the gesture.

"Eww!" Lavi cried dramatically. "Don't kiss in public! That's yucky!"

Allen face palmed. "Wow, Lavi. Really?"

"What?" Lavi asked innocently. "It made me feel uncomfortable."

"Should I bring up the times I caught you and the butterfly boy eating each other's tongues?" Lenalee asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lavi waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to enjoy my ice cream, so let's not bring up that bastard up, 'kay?"

"Sorry," Lenalee apologized.

"Eh, whatever."

Allen put two more cookie bars on his plate before he walked back to the table. As soon as he sat down, he started to shovel the treats into his mouth.

"Hey, do you even taste the stuff that you devour?" Lavi inquired before he popped the last bit of the cone he was eating into his mouth.

"mmf oorse I uh," Allen replied, his mouth full of fudge. He swallowed his food before he answered, "How could I not? It taste so good."

Lavi chuckled. I see.

"Excuse me?" I have your fortune cookies," a female waitress wearing a red Chinese dress said.

"Oh, thank you," Lenalee said.

"My pleasure," the woman replied before walking to the next table.

As everyone grabbed a fortune cookie from the middle of the table, Lavi got a mischievous gleam in his eye. "We should play a game."

"Game? What kind of game?" Allen asked as he tore open the plastic off his fortune cookie.

"Yeah, a game. It's fun," Lavi said excitedly.

"Well, that all depends. What game are we playing?" Lenalee asked.

Lavi beamed. "Okay, so it's called the 'In Bed' game. I used to play this all the time with my old friend Doug. What you do is you read your fortune in your head, but be sure to add 'in bed' at the end of it. Then pass your fortune to the right so we can see everyone's fortunes. It's hilarious."

"That sounds retarded," Kanda muttered.

Lavi stuck his tongue out at the Japanese teen. "Shush, Yuu. You dunno how to have fun, so I don't wanna hear your input."

"Sounds interesting to me," Lenalee said with a shrug.

"I'll play," Allen offered.

"Sweet! Okay. Everyone, get your fortunes."

Everyone did as Lavi instructed. Allen snapped the small golden cookie. He set the cookie down and picked up the small sliver of paper and read its contents.

_Don't be afraid to try new things._

Allen chuckled as he added 'in bed' to the end of his sentence. He heard Lavi snickering to his right and he turned to face the red-head.

"You got something you wanna tell me, Allen?" he asked and wriggled his eyebrows.

"Er, no?" Allen answered confused.

Lavi chuckled. "Okay, okay." He straightened up and smiled. "Now, everyone, pass your fortunes to the right."

Once again, everyone followed Lavi's instruction. Allen handed his fortune to Lavi, who handed his to Kanda, who rolled his eyes as he gave his to Lenalee, who smiled and handed Allen hers. Allen looked down at Lenalee's fortune and almost laughed out loud.

_Curiosity kills boredom. Nothing kills curiosity. _

Allen looked up at Kanda and shook his head, a smirk on his lips as he completed the fortune in his mind. _Poor Kanda,_ he thought. He passed the fortune to Lavi and took the one that Lenalee handed to him. He read over Kanda's fortune.

_Beauty in its various forms appeal to you._

Allen took a few seconds to figure the Japanese bastard's fortune. Then he smiled inwardly as a few interesting pictures came to mind. _Hmm, I never thought of Kanda as the artistic type, _he thought with a small chuckle. Once more, he switched fortunes and read over his boyfriend's.

_A soft voice may be awfully persuasive. _

Allen blushed as he read the fortune. _This must be what Lavi meant,_ he thought. He shook his head and handed Lavi back his fortune and got his back from Lenalee. He folded the small piece of paper and placed it in his pocket.

"That was a very interesting game," Lenalee said.

Lavi nodded. "Mhm. I used to play it with my old friend Doug when Gramps would get us Chinese food."

"Who's Doug?" Kanda asked. "I've never heard you speak of him until tonight."

Allen and Lenalee nodded their agreement with Kanda and looked at Lavi expectantly. The red-head chuckled nervously and tugged at his collar. "He's just an old friend. He was our neighbor before I moved here when I was seven."

"Oh, that's cool," Lenalee said with a smile. "Do you still talk to him?"

Lavi flinched. He shook his head slightly. "No, actually, he's dead."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a touchy subject," Lenalee said quickly.

Lavi shrugged. "Don't worry about it, Lena. It's no biggie. It's just been awhile since I talked about him is all."

There was a semi-awkward silence that passed over the table until Allen cleared his throat. "Well, it's almost eight. Should we go?"

"Oh, yeah. Brother will have a heart attack if I don't get home soon," Lenalee said as she stood up and slung her jacket over her shoulders. "Let's go, Kanda."

Kanda nodded and put on his own jacket. He took Lenalee's hand in his own. "Ready?" he asked.

"Mhm." She looked at Allen and smiled. "We'll be hanging out more before you leave, right?"

"Of course!" Allen replied.

"Good. Then I'll see you later. Bye boys. Don't forget to use protection tonight~!" she said while waving her fingers that weren't intertwined with her boyfriend's and walked away.

Yet again, Allen blushed and Lavi face palmed. "Why is she so concerned about our physical relationship?" Lavi muttered.

"I don't know," Allen answered. He stood up and picked his black coat off the back of his chair and slipped his arms into it and readjusted his black gloves. "We should get going, Lavi. Uncle Neah will throw a fit if I'm even a minute late."

"I know, I know." Lavi threw on his brown leather coat and wrapped his orange scarf around his neck. He took Allen's hand and led him out into the parking lot, earning the pair more than a few stares.

Allen noticed the eyes that plastered themselves to them, glaring at them with disgust. It made him want to shrink down and hide away from the world and their critical eyes. The heat from the stares was hot on his back until Lavi finally got him into the parking lot.

"Just ignore them, Allen," Lavi mumbled.

"Easier said than done," Allen said quietly as he opened the passenger door and sat down. Once he was buckled (the seatbelt was merciful and decided to work on the first try this time), his face was suddenly taken hold by two large, tan hands and gently turned him towards Lavi.

"Allen, people suck. You already know that, I know. But that's why you shouldn't worry about what they think about you."

Allen sighed. "It's not that easy for me, Lavi. I'm not as tough as you are."

"Psh, bullshit you aren't tough." Lavi ran his thumb over Allen's scar and smiled gently. "I may not know how you got this thing, but I can guess that it wasn't pretty. Allen, you are one of the toughest people I know. Just because you get a little freaked out when people stare at you doesn't mean you're not tough. Everyone has their weaknesses, and dealing with people is yours."

Allen simply stared at his boyfriend as he let the kind words sink in. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Lavi's. "Thank you," he whispered into the soft flesh.

"Anytime," Lavi responded before closing his eye and tilting his head at a better angle.

Allen threw his arms around Lavi's neck and sank deeper into the kiss. Lavi's scruffy chin and cheek rubbed against his own, but it wasn't unpleasant. They moved their lips together in sync and Lavi poked Allen's lips with his tongue and Allen opened up. Lavi tasted of the vanilla ice cream he had eaten not too long ago, and Allen loved it. Lavi ran his hands along Allen's sides lovingly and Allen twirled Lavi's hair in his fingers. Both of their hearts were beating fast, and they could feel each other's pulses. As they continued kissing, Allen thought in the back of his mind that this was what bliss was. This was truly perfect.

But it would only stay that way for a few more days . . .

Allen suddenly pulled back. "W-wait, Lavi. I-I think we should talk about this. Us, I mean."

Lavi nodded and sat back in his seat and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I have been meaning to bring that up." He licked his lips and sighed. "What're we going to do if you move, Allen?"

"I don't know. I guess you'll want to be with someone who lives around you. . . " The thought of breaking up with Lavi made Allen's heart shatter. He just made him his own after all this time! But if it made Lavi happy because he could be with someone in the same area as him, then Allen would suck it up and do it. After all, he would do anything for Lavi.

Lavi looked at Allen with his jaw dropped. "Wait a second, are you suggesting that we split?"

Allen nodded numbly. "Then you would be able to be with someone else who isn't over two thousand miles away. . . "

Lavi shook his head. "Seriously, Sprout? You really thought that I was going to break up with you because you're moving? There is such a thing as long-distance relationships. I mean, if you want to stay with me, anyway."

Allen looked up. "You would really be willing to try that? I mean, I've heard that long-distance relationships don't work out."

"Well, we can change that," Lavi said with a smile.

Allen smiled back and wrapped his arms around Lavi's broad shoulders. "Thank you, Lavi."

"Of course, Sprout. Anything for you," Lavi said as he hugged Allen back, rubbing circles on his back with his thumbs.

"Name's Allen."

"Oh, I know."

Allen sighed in content as Lavi continued to rub shapes on his back. He wouldn't mind staying there and just cuddling with Lavi for hours. He was about to close his eyes when he caught the time on the dashboard. It was eight thirty five. He jolted up quickly. "Lavi, we have to go. We're going to be late!"

Lavi looked at the clock and watched as the final digit turned into a six and cursed. "Okay, sorry. Let's go." He clicked on his seatbelt, started the car, and started off towards Allen's house.

*.*.*.*

It was close, but the boys made it home with less than a minute to spare. Allen bolted from the car and into the house with Lavi right behind him, not even bothering to shake the snow off his boots. "I'm home!" he yelled.

"Oh, good timing, Allen," Neah said from the living room. He was lounging comfortably on one of the couches with a newspaper in hand. "I was getting ready to go rabbit hunting," he said without looking up.

Lavi gulped behind Allen and chuckled nervously. Neah looked up and caught sight of Lavi's nervousness and chuckled. "I was kidding. Mostly. I actually trust you, Lavi."

Lavi let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."

"No need for thanks. You earned it yourself. So what's your plan for the night boys? Are you going to Lavi's place or staying here? I don't care if you two stay together for the night, but you better sleep in separate places or it won't happen again."

"Um, would it be cool if Allen came to my house?" Lavi asked. "Gramps won't mind."

"I already told you that I don't care, just sleep in different places," Neah said. "Allen, call me when you wake up, and be home by twelve. You still have to pack your room." Neah looked up at Lavi with a fierce expression and hard eyes. "Now, I may trust you, but I swear if my nephew comes home and can't sit properly, you'll have to deal with me. Get it?"

Lavi nodded. "Y-yes, sir," he stuttered.

Neah continued to eye him for another moment before he suddenly smiled. "Good lad. Now, Allen, go grab your things so you can go. Oh, and Timcanpy is on your desk."

"Thank you, Uncle Neah," Allen said. "Come on, Lavi. I have something for you," he instructed Lavi as he started up the stairs.

"Uh, okay?" Lavi asked as he followed Allen.

Allen walked into his room and was immediately dive-bombed by a golden blur. He chuckled as Timcanpy nuzzled its small body into Allen's cheek. "Hey, Tim," he said happily.

Timcanpy purred in response and Allen chuckled. He took the small golem in his hands and handed him to Lavi. "Hold him for me while I get something."

"'Kay," Lavi agreed and took Timcanpy. The golem flew up to Lavi's face and snuggled into his cheek like he had Allen's before flying to the top of Lavi's head and nestling down in the red hair. Lavi smiled and pet Timcanpy with his index finger.

Allen took in the adorable sight for a moment longer before he picked up the four pairs of pants on his floor and placed them on his bed. One by one, he searched through the pockets of them, searching for Lavi's Christmas gift.

"What'cha doin', Sprout?" Lavi asked from the doorway.

"Looking for something, just give me a moment." He picked up the final pair of jeans and reached into the pocket. "Eureka!"

"Who?"

"No, I found it." He pulled out the small hammer on a chain and turned to Lavi. "Close your eyes," he said.

"Eh? What're ya gonna do?" Lavi asked.

"What? You don't trust me?" Allen asked with a pout.

"No, I do, I'm just curious as to what you're planning."

"Well, you'll see if you close your eyes."

Lavi rolled his eye and smiled. "Fine, fine." He closed his eye and stuck out his tongue. "There. Now what?"

"Just stand there and give me a second," Allen said as he made his way over to Lavi and lifted the necklace over his head. He very carefully got the chain around Lavi's neck and let the hammer drop onto his chest. He then reached up on his tip toes and pecked Lavi on the cheek. "Merry late Christmas," he said.

Lavi opened his eye and felt the hammer with his hand before picking it up and examining it. He turned it in the light and studied it, as if he was taking in all of its details. "This is so cool," he said with a big smile.

Allen beamed. "I'm glad you like it. I thought it would fit you."

"Yes, it is sexy enough to be worn by the awesome me," Lavi said with a chuckle.

Allen rolled his eyes. "Narcissistic as always."

"Of course." Lavi wrapped his arms around Allen and held him close. He pressed a kiss to the top of the boy's head and nuzzled his nose into the white hair. "Thanks, Allen. It means a lot."

"No problem." Allen responded. He held Lavi for a moment longer before he backed up. "I'm going to grab my stuff. Go get the car ready, okay?"

Lavi nodded and headed out. Allen grabbed a backpack and stuffed in a sleep shirt and a change of clothes for the morning. He ran across the hall and tossed his toothbrush into his bag and then headed down the stairs. He was halfway to the door when Neah stopped him.

"Allen? Come here for a second please. It won't take long."

Allen turned to his right and walked into the living room and stood in front of his uncle. "Yes?"

"What is your relationship with Lavi, and have you both considered the fact that you are moving?" Neah asked bluntly. Had Allen not been used to Neah's extreme bluntness, he would have face palmed.

Instead, he answered, "He and I have decided to date, and yes, we talked about that before we came home. We would both like to try a long distance relationship."

Neah nodded. "Good. I'm just making sure." He looked up at Allen and smiled. "You look happier than I've seen you in a long time, Allen. I'm glad." His expression looked happy, but something seemed a little off. Allen couldn't put his finger on it exactly, but there was something else there. . . He gave up trying to find it when he heard an impatient honk from the driveway outside.

"Thanks. I'd better get out there, Lavi's waiting. I'll see you in the morning."

"Indeed. Have fun," Neah looked back at his newspaper and turned the page.

Allen ran out of the house and into Lavi's warm car. For umpteenth time that day, he fought with the seatbelt as soon as he got in.

"What took so long?" Lavi asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

"I had to talk to Uncle Neah about something." Allen replied.

"I see," was all Lavi said as he continued to drive.

The ride was comfortably silent. Allen watched out the window as they drove past all the houses for two and a half blocks to Lavi's house. Lavi pulled into the Bookman driveway and cut the engine. "We're here," he said happily.

"I can see that," Allen said. He looked to his right to see a small black vehicle parked beside Lavi's huge pick up. "Your grandfather's back in town for a bit?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. He's going to be here for a week or so before he heads back to his job," Lavi said as he jumped out of the car. "You're not still scared by him, are you?"

"Um, yeah. The last time I saw him he tried to make me read the entire dictionary right after he put your head through a wall," Allen mumbled.

"I don't remember the dictionary part," Lavi said nonchalantly, as if getting his head through a wall was a normal occurrence for him. Which, it actually was.

"He said that it would be good for me to widen my vocabulary," Allen said simply.

"When was the last time you saw Gramps?" Lavi asked.

"When you and I first became friends," Allen remembered as he followed Lavi to the porch.

"Oh, when you were practically a mute?" Lavi slipped his key into the doorknob and unlocked it.

"Uh, sure?"

"Ah, that makes sense," Lavi said with a nod.

"It does?" Allen asked confused.

"'Course it does." Lavi opened the front door and yelled into the massive, empty house, "YO GRAMPS! I'M BACK!"

"Silence, Junior. I knew the moment you pulled in," a small man scolded from their right. Allen nearly jumped at the sound and hid behind Lavi. A small man wearing traditional Chinese clothes that went down past his feet approached them. His eyes were black and were surrounded by large, thick black circles. His hair was thin and pink, and was styled like a question mark on the top of his head. Some might say that hiding from a little man who even Allen is taller than is foolish, but Allen knew better. This tiny guy packed a punch. "Welcome, Allen Walker," Bookman said.

"Thank you, sir," Allen said in his most gentleman-like voice. "Thank you for allowing me into your home."

"It is no trouble," Bookman replied before he turned to Lavi. "As for you, Junior, I thought I told you to be home by six?"

Lavi chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, funny story about that. Well, Allen and I both got abducted by aliens on our way here. Me, being the awesome badass I am, kicked their butts and got us back on Earth, but then we were kidnapped by a serial killer. He had like, ten chicks too and he killed two of them in front of us! Then he tried to attack Allen but I had to protect him and then we got away. We were about to walk in the door when a dinosaur came outta nowhere and—"

Lavi's ridiculous story was silenced by Bookman's foot to his mouth. Lavi's head snapped back and there was so much force in the kick that the red-head was literally kicked across the room. He landed on the coffee table at an awkward angle and hit his head on a mug that was there. He groaned in pain for a second before he sat up and glared at the old man. "What the hell was that for, ya old panda?"

"If you are late, simply admit it, rather than making up some outrageous tale," Bookman said simply.

Allen took two steps back as discreetly as he could, his eyes as wide as saucers. He didn't want to be in the middle of this.

"Still! That's no reason to fucking kick me across the room!" Lavi yelled.

Bookman shook his head and walked up to Lavi before punching him in the side of the head. "Watch your language you imbecile!" Bookman yelled. After a moment's thought, he punched Lavi again on the other side of the head. "And I am not a Panda!"

Lavi glowered at Bookman. "Ya'know, you really need to get laid, old man. Maybe then you won't be so uptight."

_WHACK!_

"FUCKING PANDA!"

_WHACK!_

_Maybe my family isn't so crazy after all, _Allen thought as he watched his boyfriend and his grandfather fight.

*.*.*.*

"Gah, fucking Panda is gonna give me a concussion one of these days," Lavi mumbled as he rubbed his newly bruised head.

"You're the one who kept egging him on," Allen pointed out.

Lavi's jaw dropped. "Who's side are you on here?"

"No one's," Allen said. "I'm just saying that you're just as guilty as he is."

Lavi's lip quivered childishly. "Alleeeeeen~ You're so evil!"

Allen shrugged. "I try."

Lavi chuckled. "Fine, fine. Hey, I'm gonna jump in the shower, 'kay? You go ahead and make yourself at home."

"Okay," Allen said. "Be sure you shave while you're at it. I can't take you seriously with facial hair."

Lavi grabbed an orange towel off his bed post and slung it over his shoulder before he turned around to face Allen. "Psh, whatever. I think it makes me look sexy," he said with his signature cocky smile as he stroked his chin.

Allen had to admit, he really did look hot with it, but he thought of the scratchy feeling he felt when Lavi had kissed him earlier in the car. "But it tickles when you kiss me," Allen muttered with a blush coating his cheeks.

"Fine, fine," Lavi said with a chuckle. He swung his towel over his shoulder and exited the room.

Now alone, Allen flopped on Lavi's bed and allowed the red-head's scent to fill his nostrils. He sighed and looked around the room. Unlike Allen had originally thought, Lavi's bedroom was actually very clean. Its tidiness even rivaled his own. The beige carpet was simple and the walls were bright orange. Posters of bands and movies plastered the walls in all areas. His black desk matched his bed and three bookshelves that he had. Each bookshelf was filled to the brim with old history books, text books, old journals, and binders filled with old papers, and much more. It boggled Allen as to why Lavi would keep all this, but he never asked him.

Allen sighed and buried his face into Lavi's pine green comforter and listened to the music playing from the iHome on Lavi's desk. Slipknot wasn't exactly mellow music, but it worked fine. He was about to fall asleep when the song changed to something that Allen didn't think Lavi would listen to.

_I'm not strong enough to stay away. I can't run from you. I just run back to you. _

Allen sat up quickly and glanced at the green iPod Nano sitting in the iHome. "What the hell?" he wondered out loud.

_You look me in my eyes, I'm stripped of my pride, and my soul surrenders. And you bring my heart to its knees. It's killing me when you're away. I wanna leave and I wanna stay. So confused, so hard to choose. Between the pleasure and the pain._

Listening to the song for the first time since his birthday party, Allen felt a familiar pang in his chest. He thought back to how bad he had been hurting not so long ago, and how he wanted Lavi, but the red-head was just out of reach. Allen place a hand over his heart, still feeling a dull throb.

_I know it's wrong, and I know it's right. But even if I try to win the fight. My heart will overrule my mind. And I'm not strong enough to stay away._

Allen was pondering whether to get up and change the song when Lavi walked into the room. The red-head was freshly shaved and was only wearing blue pajama pants. His towel draped across his shoulders, and water dripped down his broad frame. Allen stared at the teen before him, fighting the urge to drool.

"Don't get a nosebleed now, Shortstack," Lavi teased.

Allen's eye twitched at the nickname. "For the last time, my name is Allen, Rabbit. Jeeze, you're as bad as BaKanda."

"Hey! Don't compare me to him! I actually have a soul, ya'know!"

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed."

Lavi opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but closed it when he heard the music playing.

_I'm not to blame. 'Cause you bring my heart to it's knees. And it's killing me when you're away. I wanna leave and I wanna stay. I'm so confused, so hard to choose. Between the pleasure and the pain. _

"You know, the Brent Smith version is much better," Allen commented nonchalantly.

"Maybe so, but this version sounded more like when you sang it," Lavi replied.

"So?"

"So, I liked when you sang it at your party."

"Really? That's cool," Allen said. "I thought you hated it so you got yourself wasted right afterwards."

Lavi shook his head. "No, like I told you that night, it was awesome. You looked like you were really feeling the lyrics." He crossed his room to the closet and started to rummage through it.

"I was. You can guess about who," Allen added the last part quietly.

"Road?" Lavi joked as he slid a purple T-shirt over his head.

Allen glared at Lavi. "Come on, I know you're not _that_ stupid."

Lavi chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I was just joking with you. You should know that. I knew you were singing about me."

Allen sighed. "Was I really that obvious?"

"Eh, not really, I'm just observant."

"Then why did you drink so much?"

Lavi sighed. "Because when I finally realized that you were talking about me in the song, I wanted to run up and kiss you, but I was with Tyki. I didn't know what to do. I was so torn. So I just grabbed Tyki's hand and ran to the kitchen for a drink," he explained.

"I see," Allen replied. He thought back to that night when Lavi was drunk and Tyki took him home, only to take advantage of him. "I'm sorry, it's my fault," he muttered. "It's my fault that Tyki did that to you."

"No it's not. It's my own damn fault for drinking so much," Lavi insisted.

"But it's because of me that you drank in the first place. I'm so sorry."

Lavi rolled his eye and ruffled Allen's white hair. "Don't be, there's nothing to be sorry for."

"But—" Allen tried to protest, but was silenced with a kiss. Unlike before, Lavi's face was smooth and soft from the fresh shave. Lavi's hair was wet and it dripped a bit on Allen's nose, but he didn't care.

Lavi backed away after a moment and gave Allen a serious look. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault."

Allen wanted to keep arguing, but he knew that Lavi would win the argument. Sighing, Allen decided that he would continue to blame himself on the inside. He looked back at Lavi and decided to ask him something that had been bothering him for quite some time.

"Lavi?"

"Hm?"

"I was just wondering – and you don't have to answer if you don't want to – but how exactly did Tyki rape you? When I think of rape, I think of duct tape and screaming."

For a moment, Lavi simply stared at the younger teen with a bewildered expression before he burst out into hysterical laughter. He laughed so hard, he rolled off his bed.

"What's so funny? This is a serious question!" Allen exclaimed.

"You're a kinky bastard, ya'know that?" Lavi gasped as he struggled to regain his breath.

"Am not!" Allen denied. "I watch Law and Order SVU sometimes and whenever someone would get raped, duct tape would usually be involved!"

Lavi collapsed into another fit of laughter while Allen glared at him. "Dude . . . I can't believe you watch Law and Order . . ." he managed. "That's old people T.V."

"Shut up! And don't change the subject. Are you going to answer me or not?"

Lavi took a deep breath and quieted his laughter before he turned and looked at Allen seriously. "Rape doesn't necessarily mean duct tape, Sprout. If you say 'no' and your partner keeps going, that's rape."

"Did you say no?" Allen asked.

Lavi chuckled bitterly. "Not only did I say it, I was chanting it. It was hard to fight back though, due to all the alcohol in my system. So Tyki was able to top me without much of a fight."

Allen nodded and it was silent for a minute. He couldn't believe that Lavi had to deal with something like that. It was horrible. If only he was somehow able to stop Tyki. He looked at Lavi who was sitting on the floor and twiddling his thumbs. Not making eye contact.

"D-did it hurt?" Allen asked timidly, not wanting to make Lavi talk about it, but he still wanted to know.

"Did what hurt?" Lavi asked.

"Being, erm, topped?"

"Yeah, a bit," Lavi confessed. He looked up at Allen and gave a slight smile and winked. "Don't worry, when I top you, I'll make sure you feel good."

"EH?" Allen choked, his face glowing scarlet. "Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true," Lavi said simply. He stood up and sat behind Allen and wrapped his arms around the smaller teen's waist.

"Perv," Allen murmured.

"Aw, c'mon, Shortstack, ya know I love ya," Lavi said as he pressed a small kiss to Allen's thin, pale neck.

Allen shivered at the gesture. "Uh huh, sure you do," he said with a surprisingly steady voice.

Lavi smiled and turned Allen's head so he was facing him and pressed a small kiss to his forehead. He backed up and his eye fell on Allen's scar on accident. He tried to look away, but Allen caught it.

Allen took hold of Lavi's hand and raised it to his scar. He pressed Lavi's warm fingers to the smooth flesh and gave a small smile. "I-I was the victim of a gang attack," he said quietly.

Lavi's eye widened. "What?" he asked as he slowly ran his finger along the red scar. He started from the bottom and traced the curve up to his eye and to the star just above his eyebrow. He traced it again in reverse, slowly and gently.

Allen took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "When I was little, Mana and I were running away from my uncle's gang and they caught up to us. Mana told me to call him Neah so they would think that he was my uncle. I went along with the plan, but no good came from it. Mana was beaten and killed in front of me. When the Akuma –the gang—found out that it wasn't really Neah, they carved this into my face so Uncle Neah could see that they found us." His voice cracked at the end and tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He held Lavi's hand tight as he continued to trace the scar. With his other hand, he took hold of a small lock of his white hair. "And my hair was turned white from the shock I went through. It actually used to be a shade or two darker than yours."

Lavi was stunned into silence. Not knowing what else to do, he tightened his hug on Allen and nuzzled his nose into Allen's neck. "I'm so sorry, Allen. I never knew."

The warmth of Lavi's breath on his neck made Allen shiver, but he shrugged his shoulders. "There's no need for you to be sorry. It wasn't your fault or anything."

"I know, but I'm still sorry," Lavi said quietly. He pressed another small kiss to Allen's neck before he sat up and situated himself so he was sitting in front of Allen. He gave his boyfriend a small smile before he took hold of the bottom of his eye patch and lifted it off his head.

Beneath the patch, Lavi's eyelid was sewn closed. The skin there was pale, unlike the rest of his tan face from never seeing the sun. Unlike his other eye, he didn't have any eyelashes. Allen reached up and lightly pressed his fingertips just beneath the empty socket.

Lavi raised his hand up and held Allen's wrist as he touched his face. "When I was seven, I was going on a trip with my parents and my best friend Doug when we crashed. We collided with another car and I was the only one to survive. I always considered myself lucky, only losing an eye instead of my life. That's why I act the way I do. I try to make every day count. After all, we never know when our last one is going to be, right?"

Allen nodded. Very carefully, he pressed a small kiss to Lavi's eye and smiled. "I'm glad you're alive, Lavi. I'm glad you can be here with me."

"Me too, Allen. Me too."

**[Note from the Author: Well, there you have it, friends. The newest chapter. I'm so, so, so sorry for making you all wait for so long. Please don't hate me. I really tried, but like I said earlier, I've been dealing with some stuff lately. **

**My siblings had a run-in with the law and brought the cops home, my family has been fighting with each other, and my parents found something that I wrote that wasn't meant for anyone's eyes and so that made things even more difficult seeing as I was under constant watch for awhile. I also found out my best friend is going to be a dad . . . and he's sixteen . . . Sound stressful? Add high school final exams on top of that. That's about everything :D So, there's my lame excuse for my late update. I'm sorry, guys. Summer's in two weeks, so that'll make things easier.**

**So, that's about it. I won't promise to update for sure next week, but I'll promise to try. **

**Remember, feedback is what keeps me writing ;D Even if it's hateful, I'd still love to hear it. **

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**


	19. Chapter 19

**[Note from the Author: Hey, everyone. Check it out! An update on time! Hell yeah! :D**

**I want to apologize in advance for any issues that may come up in this chapter. My computer had a software switch recently so I don't use Microsoft anymore. It's taking me awhile to get used to it and I'm still extremely awkward with it. It took me fifteen minutes to figure out how to double space Dx**

**Well guys, we're reaching the end. If all goes as planned, next chapter will be the final chapter. I am torn on how to end it, I have two endings in mind. So I guess it all depends on how you all react to this chapter on how I'll end it. **

**Enough of my babbling. Let's move on, eh? **

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way shape or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort of profit off it. **

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

Chapter Nineteen

"Where do you want me to put this?" Lavi asked as he held up a picture frame with a photo of Allen, Lavi, and Lenalee all making a silly face into the camera while Kanda rolled his eyes in the background.

Allen smiled a bit at the picture and nodded his head towards the box on his bed. "It's a fragile, so wrap it up in newspaper and then put it in that box."

"Sure, okay," Lavi agreed before he started to wrap the frame with old newspapers.

Allen sighed and looked around his room. His walls that once held a few posters and framed pictures and the occasional award were no longer there, his computer was no longer on his desk, but was packed into a box beside it, and now half of his bookshelf was empty. _This is really it,_ he thought to himself sadly. _This is proof that I really am leaving..._

He resumed putting books into the box at his feet. He already finished putting away his novels and was now working on his mangas. All of his _Naruto _ones were put away and he started on his _Bleach_ volumes. After all, what anime nerd doesn't own at least one volume of the either of the two? Once those were out of the way, he started on the rest of his mangas. He had quite the extensive collection. Of course he had _Black Butler_ and _Pandora Hearts, _but he had even more than that. He had some _Dragon Ball_, _Yugi-Oh, One Piece, Soul Eater, Black Cat, Fairy Tail, Hetaila, _and one called _ZoNE._ Lenalee had gotten it for him for his fourteenth birthday. She had said that the character Robin on the front had reminded her of him. There was a scar on her left eye, her hair was white, and she looked about Allen's age at the time. It was pretty awesome.

Allen sighed as he put the last manga in the box and closed the flaps. He reached behind him and grabbed the packing tape and taped the box closed. He reached into his pocket and glanced around searching for his marker to mark the box. "Hey, Lavi? Have you seen my sharpie?"

"Right here," Lavi replied and tossed Allen the permanent marker.

Allen caught it with ease and smiled at Lavi. "Thanks." He pulled off the cap and marked the box: _Allen's Mangas. _"There," he said. "That's the last of my books."

"And your other stuff is packed too," Lavi said. "All that's left is your furniture."

Allen nodded sadly. He looked at the pile of boxes behind his door and sighed. Two were filled with clothes and one with his other miscellaneous things. Those added with the two boxes of books and the box on his bed added up to six boxes. Only two or three would fit in Neah's car, so Neah had ordered a tow-a-long U-haul. Neah was on his way to get it right now so Allen could pack his things up for the morning.

He was leaving tomorrow morning.

Lavi walked up behind Allen and wrapped his arms around his waist and held him close. Allen leaned his head on Lavi's shoulder behind him and sighed. He couldn't believe he was leaving. The past four days had been some of the best days of his life. He was never away from Lavi for more than thirty minutes. He wished that he could always be with Lavi and that he didn't have to move. But he had promised Neah in the hospital that he would leave without a fight.

Lavi pressed his nose into Allen's hair and sighed. "I hope tomorrow never comes," he said. "Can't the world end tonight? Ya'know, twenty-twelve style?"

"That's not a good thing to wish for, Lavi," Allen pointed out.

Lavi shrugged. "I don't care. I don't want you to leave me. I don't think I am going to be able to handle it..."

A lump formed in Allen's throat. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to handle it either. He was going to have to go without talking to Lavi for a few days because the trip was three days long by car and Neah had a strict rule against texting while in the car. No matter how many times Allen had tried to tell him that it was only against the law for the _driver_ to text while the vehicle is moving, Neah would simply shake his head and reply, "Well, what if the passenger's texting distracts the driver? You can never be too safe." So texting was out of the question.

Even when he gets there, Neah had warned him that the town he lives in doesn't get the best of cell service. The only place where he could get much service is either at the school or public library, which were both about a mile and a half away from where he is going to live.

Lavi's hand gently brushing hair from his face brought him out of his thoughts. He tilted his head up to look at Lavi. The red-head was looking down at him sadly, his single eye shinning with unshed tears.

"It'll be okay, Allen," Lavi said quietly before he pressed a small kiss to Allen's temple.

Allen shook his head. "I sure hope so, Lavi. I don't know what I'm going to do, though. I'm not going to be able to survive Oregon without you..."

Lavi quickly spun Allen around and pressed him into the nearest wall. Allen let out a small _oomph_, and Lavi pressed on of his hands to the wall next to Allen's head and used the other to take hold of the younger teen's chin to tilt his head up so their eyes locked. "Allen, I want you to promise me something right now. Promise me that you will not hurt yourself. Got it? That means no cutting. At all."

Allen was a little taken aback by the seriousness in Lavi's voice and sudden actions. He didn't know how to respond. He shifted uncomfortably under Lavi's stare and refused to answer. He averted his gaze to the floor.

Lavi growled and jerked his chin gently, but firmly so that Allen was looking at him again. "Promise me."

"I-I can't," Allen mumbled. "I can't promise that. I know that it's probably going to happen, so there is no use making a promise that I am going to end up breaking."

Lavi looked like he was going to try and dissuade Allen, but he sighed and shook his head instead. "At least you're honest," he grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Allen said.

"Allen, if you can't promise to not do anything, at least promise to try. Please. And if you do end up doing anything, I want you to either tell me or your uncle right afterwards. Understand?"

Allen's jaw dropped. _Lavi's not mad at me? _

Lavi studied Allen's face for a moment before he explained, "I know that it's hard to stop. Don't get me wrong, I don't want you to cut at all. But I don't want you to do it behind my back either. As long as you promise me to try and inform me if it does happen, I promise to not be mad."

"Okay," Allen said quietly. "I promise. I'll try my very hardest to not hurt myself, and if I slip I will call you right after."

Lavi smiled slightly before he closed the distance between them and rested his lips on Allen's. Allen brought up one of his hands and pressed it to the side of Lavi's neck. It was a small kiss, nothing more than the act of lips against lips. Over the past few days, the two had been kissing almost as often as they could. Of course, they stayed on the look out for Cross before they did, since they both thought that Lavi didn't need to spend anymore time in jail.

Lavi backed up and smiled down at Allen. "Thank you," he said. "I'm sorry that you have to leave."

"Me too," Allen agreed.

There were three slams against the door followed by Cross bellowing, "Hey, gaywads! Neah's outside. He said to start packin' your shit into it."

Lavi quickly backed away from Allen, just in case Cross decided to barge in like he had during their first (while both completely sober and conscious) kiss.

"Okay, we'll be out in a minute," Allen replied to his godfather.

"Well hurry your asses up. Neah's getting impatient."

"Fine, we're coming." Allen opened the door before he picked up one of the boxes from the side of the room. "Will you help, Lavi?" he asked.

"Already on it, Sprout," Lavi replied as he hefted up two boxes.

"Careful, don't hurt yourself," Allen warned.

"Dude, you sound like your uncle," Lavi said and stuck out his tongue.

Allen scoffed and turned towards the door and headed out. "Fine, fall down the stairs and die for all I care," he said sarcastically.

"Maybe I will, since you don't care and all," Lavi said back with just as much sarcasm in his tone.

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"God, quit fighting like some old married couple already!" Cross yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Allen's cheeks flushed and Lavi laughed. They carefully made it down the stairs and Allen managed to get the front door open and they walked outside into the snow.

Like Cross had said, Neah was waiting in the driveway for them. He smiled warmly when he saw his nephew and his boyfriend. "Oh, good. You two did as asked. I'm surprised, honestly."

Allen rolled his eyes. "Where should we put these, Uncle Neah?"

"What're in those boxes?" Neah asked. "If you have a box of breakables then you should probably put it in the back of the car instead of the U-Haul. And then we need to get your furniture out here before we load the boxes."

"Um, I have clothes," Allen said as he read the box. "What about you, Lavi?" No answer came from Lavi and Allen turned his head to look at his boyfriend behind him. To his ultimate surprise, Lavi had a tear rolling down his left cheek. "Lavi? Are you okay?" he asked as he set the box down on the iced concrete.

Lavi shook his head. "I'm fine. My eye doesn't like the cold," he lied pathetically.

Allen sighed and walked over to his boyfriend. He took one of the boxes from him and set it on the ground, followed by the other before he wrapped his arms around Lavi's waist. "Don't cry," he said gently.

"I'm not crying," Lavi denied. "The snow is just fucking up my eye."

Allen chuckled and wiped away a tear that was slowly going down Lavi's face. "Whatever you say."

"Damn right," Lavi mumbled half heartedly. He hugged Allen tightly and nuzzled his face into Allen's pale neck. "I don't want you to leave me," he whispered sadly.

Allen swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and his eyes stung. He didn't want to cry, but he knew that if Lavi kept this up, he wouldn't be able to stop himself. He pet Lavi's hair comfortingly. That's when he caught Neah's eyes.

Neah looked at the boys sadly. His eyes were soft and his shoulders were slumped slightly. Allen guess that he never knew that Lavi would be so upset about the move.

Allen averted his gaze, not wanting to see the pity in his uncle's eyes. He was slightly angry at Neah for making him leave, but he knew that it was stupid to be. After all, Neah was only trying to help him in his own way. He was only dragging Allen away from his home because it was here that he was hurting so much not so long ago.

Even though he knew this, he couldn't help but still be a bit angry. It was because of this that Lavi was crying right now. It was his fault that he had to leave behind his home, the one place that he has ever felt he belonged.

Lavi stood up and wiped his eye. "Sorry 'bout that," he said. "I think I'm allergic to the snow or something."

Allen smiled sadly and pecked Lavi on the cheek. "Yeah, or something." He looked back at Neah. "So do you want us to start bringing down the furniture?" he asked.

"Yes, that would probably be the best thing to do. Afterwards, we can get your boxes loaded up."

Allen and Lavi nodded and headed into the house to start bringing down all of Allen's possessions to be packed up, both holding back tears all the way.

*.*.*.*

"That's everything," Lavi mumbled as he slammed the door of the the U-Haul. He locked the door and handed the key to Neah. Neah tucked the key into his pocket and mumbled his thanks.

Allen sighed and leaned against the side of the U-Haul. His shivered from the cold January breeze. He used his breath to warm his hands and rubbed his upper arms. They had spent the past two hours fighting with Allen's furniture to get it in the U-Haul. First, his desk didn't want to come through the front door, so they had to carry it all the way through the garage to the driveway. Then his bed wouldn't fit through his bedroom door, so they had spent a half hour taking the whole damn thing apart. After that, they loaded it into the U-Haul, only to wonder if they would have to take it apart again when they get to Oregon. So they pulled it out and took it apart in the cold just in case.

After that little adventure, Lavi fell down the stairs while carrying a box – which Allen so saw coming – and ended up hurting his ankle. But being the stubborn guy he is, he refused to stop working and just worked around the pain. When he tried to go back up the stairs, that's where Allen drew the line and told him that he would be the one to take things downstairs and that he could carry things to the car. Lavi pouted (which was extremely adorable in Allen's opinion), but agreed nonetheless.

Now it was about eight pm and the duo and Neah were outside in the cold, taking a rest after working so hard.

Neah was the first to speak. He yawned and stretched. "Well, I'll go make us some dinner. Are you staying, Lavi?"

"If it isn't too much trouble," Lavi answered.

"Never if it's you," Neah said with a smile before he trudged through the snow and then inside the house.

When Neah was inside, Lavi sighed and slid down the U-Haul onto the frozen driveway. He motioned for Allen to sit next to him and Allen complied. Allen leaned his head on Lavi's shoulder and Lavi slipped his hand around Allen's waist. They just sat there with their feet in the snow, simply enjoying the presence of each other.

It was when Allen shivered that Lavi suggested that they go back inside. Allen shook his head. "No, I want to stay out here with you. I just want to enjoy being with you a little longer."

"But Allen, you're going to get sick," Lavi reasoned.

"I don't care. I'll deal with that when I get to Oregon. For now, I just want to spend every second I can with you." He snuggled into Lavi's side.

Lavi placed a small kiss on his forehead and rubs Allen's side comfortingly. "Fine, but only for a minute more. I don't want you to get pneumonia or something."

"Fine," Allen grumbled. The two went back to cuddling against the U-Haul until Allen sneezed once more.

"Okay, that's it. We're going inside," Lavi said, standing up.

"But Lavi, I don't want to," Allen whined.

"C'mon, Sprout. Your uncle will kill me if I get you sick. Now come on," Lavi said and held out his hand to help Allen off the ground.

With a sigh, Allen took Lavi's hand and stood up. They kept their hands locked as they slowly made their way back into the warm house.

"Ah, finally decided to come defrost?" Neah called from the kitchen. "I made chicken noodle soup if you boys are hungry."

Of course, Allen jumped at that. He quickly shed off his layers and ran into the kitchen. "Food?" he asked, drooling slightly.

Neah laughed and gestured for him to sit at the table. Once Allen was seated, he filled a bowl with steaming soup and sat it in front of the salivating teen. "Be sure you let it cool a little before you devour it," Neah said with a chuckle. He looked over at Lavi who was standing in the doorway. "Come sit and have a bowl. It'll warm you up," Neah said warmly.

Lavi smiled gratefully and took a seat next to Allen, who was slurping his soup loudly. "Thank you," Lavi said.

"It's no problem. Thank you for helping us move Allen's things."

Everyone went quiet then. Allen set his bowl down and stared at the remainder of his soup. He hated being reminded that he was going to be leaving in a few hour's time.

Neah sighed. "Boys, listen, this isn't the end of the world."

"Close enough," Lavi mumbled and poked at his soup with his spoon.

"Lavi, I'm sorry, but I really believe that Allen needs this. He needs to get out of this city. You saw what Tyki and the other students did to him when they found out about his arm. He should start over in a town where no one knows him and can't use that against him."

"But Uncle Neah, I'm fine where I am. Really," Allen said.

"Allen, remember what you promised me," Neah said.

Allen sighed and nodded before he started to stir his soup with his finger.

"Anyway," Neah continued. "I wanted to tell you that I already spoke with Mr. Bookman. He said that as long as Lavi raised his grades, he wouldn't mind if he came out to Oregon for Spring Break."

"But that's not until another three months," Allen said sadly.

"But it's better than nothing," Neah said. "Listen, I'm trying the best I can. I want you happy, and I wish that I didn't have to take you away from Lavi, but there is no way I can do that."

"Then I'll move out there," Lavi said simply.

Allen's head shot up and he looked over at his boyfriend quizzically. "What?"

"I said that I'll move there. I'm eighteen, I am able to move out."

"Yes, but I don't think that it is a good idea while you're still in school. And I believe that your grandfather has already had this discussion with you. Didn't the two of you come to an agreement that if you graduated he would help you financially, but if you dropped out you're on your own?"

Lavi slammed his head on the table, making the entire thing shake. "This is so unfair," he mumbled.

Allen reached over and rubbed his back. "It's okay, Lavi. You'll be able to move next year," he said as reassuringly as he could. Allen knew that Lavi was probably going to have to be held back due to his horrible grades. The highest grade he had at the moment other than his history grade was a two percent in art. And he only got that high of a grade because he actually liked drawing – when he wasn't too busy distracting Allen, that is.

Lavi shook his head, which was still on the table. He mumbled something, but Allen couldn't hear it.

"Say again?" Allen asked.

Lavi sat up and repeated, "No, I'm going to graduate this year. Then I can be out there by the summer."

"But, Lavi, there is no way you are going to with your grades," Allen pointed out.

"I have my ways," Lavi said cryptically before he stood up and took his half empty bowl to the sink.

Allen picked up his own bowl and followed Lavi to the sink. He rinsed his bowl and turned to Lavi and hugged his waist. "You're staying here tonight, right?" he asked quietly.

Lavi rubbed Allen's back and kissed the top of his head. "Of course I am."

"Good."

The two stayed there embracing for a few minutes. They didn't say anything, they just stood there with their arms wrapped around each other. Allen nuzzled his face into Lavi's strong chest and Lavi continued to rub his back. Even though it was silent, they knew what the other was thinking just from their actions. Neither wanted Allen to leave. Neither wanted tomorrow to come. Neither wanted to be apart from one another.

Allen had become so unaware of everything that was not Lavi, he had not realized that Neah was standing in the entrance of the kitchen. Neah cleared his throat and said, "I'm going to bed. We are getting up early in the morning, so I suggest that you get to bed soon. I laid out some blankets in the living room. I'll expect that you be asleep by twelve the latest." He turned to leave, but stopped. "I made sure Cross will be out all night, so you're free to sleep by each other. But I don't want to see anything." With that said, Neah left.

Allen and Lavi stood there dumbly for a moment before Lavi finally broke the silence. "Um, Allen? Did your uncle just give us permission to have sex?"

Allen blushed and hit Lavi. "Of course not! He said we could sleep by each other. Only you would get sex out of that."

"Oh puh-lease, I'm sure you thought the same thing," Lavi teased.

"Did not!" Allen denied.

"Whatever you say," Lavi said and kissed Allen's temple. "Let's go lay down."

"Okay," Allen agreed. "Let me go get my pajamas on first, though." He broke away from Lavi's hold and walked into the bathroom. He had a small pile of clothes there that Neah had set up for him since all of his other clothes were packed away. He picked a random shirt and pajama pants and slipped them on. Once dressed, he walked out of the bathroom to see Lavi waiting for him with his shirt off. _Well, hello there, sexy_, Allen thought with a blush.

"Like what you see?" Lavi asked with a smirk.

"Definitely," Allen answered honestly.

Lavi kissed Allen's cheek before he took his hand and led him to the living room. They both took one blanket and laid it out on the floor and arranged the pillows. Then they laid down next to one another and used the other blanket to cover themselves.

They cuddled closer so Allen was lying on Lavi's chest. Lavi pet Allen's hair affectionately. Allen thought back to all the times that he has slept by Lavi that he wished that he could sleep with him like this. Not as awkward friends, but as a couple. He smiled and nuzzled into Lavi's chest, loving the way it rose and fell at a steady pace. It was almost hypnotizing.

Allen couldn't believe how happy he was right now. He wished that he could always be like this with Lavi. He didn't want anything specific or extraordinary, he just wanted to be able to be with Lavi. To always be by his side and never leave.

But he had to move and all of this happiness was going to end. Right when he got it too. Why does the world hate him? First, he was abandoned as a child. He could understand why, seeing as he was a monster and all, so he never complained about it. Then Mana was killed. That was so unfair. It was unfair that one of the only people in the whole world that cared about him was taken, but since he had Neah, he knew that he would be okay.

But now he was losing Lavi. He was losing the person he loved so much it hurt. The person who has always been there for him since the beginning. The person other than his uncle and godfather that knew all of his secrets and still loved him.

"Allen, are you crying?"

Allen sniffed and reached his hand up to his eyes and wiped away a few stray tears. He hadn't realized that he was crying. "I-I guess I am," he said quietly.

"What are you thinking about?" Lavi asked.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked. I'm not a mind reader, ya'know," Lavi said lightly.

Allen took a deep breath and sighed. "I don't want to leave, Lavi. I don't want to leave you."

"I know," Lavi said sadly. "I don't want you to go, either. But there's nothing we can do. Like your uncle said, this is the best thing for you."

"But what if I don't care what's best for me?" Allen asked.

"You may not, but I do," Lavi said quietly. "I want you safe, Allen. I want you to be able to go to school without being called a monster and getting pelted with nachos." Allen winced a little at the reminder of the incident in the lunch room. "I want you to be happy. That's why I'm not fighting your uncle tooth and nail to keep you here. He has a point. And as much as it may suck, it's for the best." He continued to mess with Allen's hair gently, calming him down.

"I'm going to miss you so much," Allen whispered.

"I'm going to miss you, too. But you heard your uncle, we get to see each other during Spring Break. That's not too long from now."

"Lavi, that's three months away," Allen pointed out.

"It's better than never, now isn't it?"

Allen didn't answer. Instead, he thought about the other things he was going to miss. "I'm gonna miss our friends."

"I know you are. And they're going to miss you too. That's why we had that big lunch celebration earlier. I didn't even pick a fight with Road because I wanted you to have a good time."

Allen smiled a bit when he thought about the goodbye party that Lenalee and Lavi had thrown him at Pizza Street. Lenalee, Kanda, and Road had all been there to give their final goodbyes. Everyone exchaged Christmas gifts then. Allen had gotten a stuffed puppy from Lenalee, a new pair of Skull Candy headphones from Road, and a book titled _How to Be Less _Annoying from Kanda. What good friends he had. Then they all enjoyed themselves to the fullest. They ate so much pizza that they would've exploded if they had eaten anymore, and then they moved on to the arcade. Allen kicked everyone's ass as pinball. Lavi made up for his loss by humiliating Allen by beating him at Dance Dance Revolution by twenty thousand points. Even Kanda seemed to have had a good time. Well, not that he said he did, but he didn't whine as much as he usually did. "I know. Thank you for that."

"Anything for you, Allen," Lavi replied sweetly.

Allen sighed and decided to stop talking. He could feel his eyelids slowly droop and his head felt heavy with sleep. Lavi's breathing beneath him was slowing to the pace of slumber. As tired as he was, he didn't want to go to sleep.

"Lavi?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want it to be tomorrow."

Lavi mumbled a bit before he gently re-situated himself so he was no longer under Allen, but right beside him. He leaned his face into Allen's and kissed his lips softly.

Allen sighed happily and pressed one of his palms against Lavi's cheeks as the kiss slowly progressed. They carefully moved their lips against each other. The kiss was innocent and sweet, it made Allen feel lightheaded, but not in a bad way.

The kiss didn't go any further than that. There was a silent agreement between the two to keep things simple this time. Allen was the first to break away and looked at Lavi who smiled lovingly at him.

"Feel better?" Lavi asked.

"Only a little," Allen admitted.

"Shall we try again?"

"I'd love to."

Allen leaned in for another kiss and decided that this was the way he wanted to go to sleep every night.

*.*.*.*

"Rise and shine, boys. It's time for breakfast and then we'll be on our way," Neah said.

Allen groaned as he woke up. He was still too out of it to have understood what Neah said. He just knew that he was laying on the most comfortable pillow in the entire world and he didn't want to get off of it. He snuggled closer to it with every intention of falling back asleep.

"Allen, get up," Neah said.

"I don't wanna go to school, Master," Allen mumbled. He was about to fall asleep when he felt someone shaking his shoulder.

"Allen, wake up. We need to leave in the next half hour. I let you sleep as much as you can. We need to hurry up so I can get back to Oregon before my boss fires me for being out so long."

Slowly and grudgingly, Allen sat up and rubbed his eyes. He yawned loudly and stretched his limbs. He looked around trying to process what was going on, since he was still half asleep. A blur of red in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked at it. He saw Lavi sleeping soundly next to him, his shirt off and his hair everywhere. Allen blushed when he remembered their cuddling and kissing from the night before. Then his heart dropped. He remembered that he had to leave to Oregon today.

"Come on, Allen. Go get dressed. I have your breakfast on the table," Neah said.

Allen nodded numbly and stood up and made his way to the bathroom. He picked up his clothes in the corner and slipped them on. When he walked out of the bathroom, Lavi was awake and was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. Normally, seeing a shirtless Lavi with his bed-head sitting at his table would be the most amazing sight first thing in the morning. But not today. Today was the day that his life was coming to an end.

Figuratively of course, but it definitely felt literal.

"Mornin'," Lavi said when Allen approached the table and sat down.

"Good morning," Allen said half heartedly. He looked at the omelet before him with disgust. No matter how good of a cook his uncle was, he couldn't eat anything right now.

"So, today's the day, huh?" Lavi asked.

"Yup."

An awkward silence hovered over them and they didn't say anything. Lavi continued to sip his coffee and Allen poked at his omelet. Neah stood in the kitchen drinking his own coffee. No one said anything because no one knew what to say.

After about two minutes of this, Neah glanced at his watch. "Well, we should be on our way, Allen."

"I-I..." Allen started, his eyes brimming with tears.

"Allen, go," Lavi said.

"What?" Allen asked, baffled.

"Go. Your uncle Is on a deadline." He looked down into his coffee and sighed. "And I promised myself I wouldn't break down until you left..."

Allen's eyes widened. He reached over and hugged Lavi tightly as he fought his own tears.

"Allen," Neah said gently. "We have to go."

"Okay," Allen agreed quietly. He stood up and walked to the entryway and slowly started to put on his winter layers. By the time he was done, Lavi was standing beside him with his shirt and a hoodie on.

"I'll go ahead and walk you out," he said.

"Okay." Allen walked out of the front door, followed by Lavi and Neah. Every step he took broke his heart a little more. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave.

Lavi opened the car door for him and Allen slid in without saying anything. Neah sat down in the driver's seat without a word and slammed the door and started the car up. Lavi held the door open for a second longer before he leaned down and quickly pecked Allen on the lips. "Be safe, okay?" he whispered.

Allen nodded numbly and tried to give a small smile.

Lavi did the same and closed the car door. Neah started backing out of the driveway, careful to not hit the mailbox as he backed up with the U-Haul. "Alright, and we're on our way," he said in an overly cheery voice.

Allen said nothing. His attention was set on the red-head who was standing in his yard alone, waving goodbye. He waved back. He kept waving until Lavi was out of sight and then, and only then, did he allow himself to break down completely.

**[Note from the Author: And there you have it, the second to last chapter. Bring on the hate! :D**

**Meh, I won't lie, the beginning of this chapter was hard to write. As were the past three chapters. I just can't do fluff too well. I like it better when people are getting hurt and are sad then lovey and happy ^^**

**Now, like I said before, I am torn between two endings. I'm going to decide what ending to write depending on your reviews ;D So tell me what you think. **

**Ah, two updates on time. Accomplishment... There's no better feeling. **

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**


	20. Chapter 20

**[Note from the Author: Hello, loves :D**

**Sorry this is late. I had a bad case of allergies paired with a horrid sunburn Dx Damn summer...**

**Well, I must say, waking up the day after I updated with an inbox full of death threats is most definitely the best way to wake up **_**ever**_**. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy ^^ So thank you for the wonderfully violent reviews! And the nonviolent ones were nice too, so thanks!**

**Alright my dears, this is it. The final chapter. I want to thank everyone for sticking with me this long. Thank you for those of you who have been reading since November, and those who have started reading just recently. It's you guys that keep me writing. So thanks, guys.**

**Onto the finale~!**

**I do not own D. Gray-Man in any way, shape, or form. This fic is completely fanmade and I am not making any sort off profit off it.**

**Happy Readings!**

**~Kumori]**

_((Note from the Beta: _

_Well, here we are. Kumori's finally finishing this story up (not like I'm complaining), so I think we should all congratulate her. _

_This story was really great, Kumori, and it was a pleasure to beta a few chapters for you. You've gotten much better since November, and I barely had to change anything in this chapter. I'm proud of you, and your readers should be, too. ^^_

_Ah, yes, and speaking of the readers: I intend to stay as her beta for future stories, too. It probably doesn't matter that much to you, but I'm just throwing it out there in case you, for some reason, feel an emotion other than indifference for me. _

_Gee, I talk a lot for a beta, don't I? ^^; _

_Eh, whatever. _

_Enjoy. _

—_Zamizu))_

Chapter Twenty

Allen watched with forlorn as his uncle's car passed by the sign that told them they were officially leaving Missouri. He had only been in the car for about two hours, but he already hated the world. About a half hour ago, he had dried all his tears and replaced the depression in his heart with gut wrenching hate. Instead of turning all of that malice onto his poor uncle, he decided to take it out on the world. He decided that he hated it with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. No, more than that. He hated the world about as much as Kanda hated him and as much as he hated Kanda combined. Yeah, that should be enough hate.

Neah sighed to Allen's left. "Allen, please, don't look so angry."

Allen grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's that or I start crying again," he mumbled.

"You don't have to see this as a bad thing; you could try to be a little more chipper."

"You're expecting me to be happy when you just dragged me away from my home, my friends, and my boyfriend? I don't think so."

Neah sighed again. "It doesn't have to be this way, Allen. You could look on the brighter side of this. You'll be living on the Oregon coast, so you'll be by the beach. That's a plus, isn't it?"

Allen knew that Neah was trying. He was doing all he could to make this move a little less painful for him. Even so, he couldn't lighten his black mood if he tried. "Sorry, Uncle Neah, but that isn't going to happen."

"I figured as much, Allen. It's alright. You just need a little time."

"No. What I need is Lavi," Allen whispered as he wiped his eyes. He would not cry anymore. He was determined to dry all his tears. He didn't have to be happy, but he didn't have to be miserable either.

"You could just sit back and enjoy the trip," Neah suggested.

Allen huffed and glared out the window to a passing by 7-Eleven. _Fucking 7-Eleven. It looks so happy. It's like it's taunting me. Fucking 7-Eleven. Their food sucks and the people who go in there are all losers. Stupid people. Stupid 7-Eleven. _When he realized that he was silently telling off a gas station, he face palmed. He decided that maybe it would be better if he went to sleep. It would be better then damning poor people he'd never met to hell and looking like some angry old man in the process. He grumbled a bit and situated himself so he was sitting as comfortably as he could manage in the stiff passenger seat. He tilted his head as much as he could against the car door and closed his eyes. At first, he couldn't sleep. He couldn't help but think about how much he wished that he was laying on Lavi's chest instead of the cold car door.

It took about a half hour, but after silently crying a little more—despite how much he was mad at himself for it, he finally fell asleep.

*.*.*.*

"Allen, wake up, it's time to eat."

Allen cracked his eyes open slightly to see Neah smiling and holding out a McDonald's double cheeseburger. He yawned and stretched his poor aching muscles and held his hand out for the burger. He took the big mass of grease and unwrapped it. He examined the extremely fattening food before stuffing it into his mouth. It was cold, so it didn't taste that great, but food is food. The lard and salt and other fattening components would not effect him, seeing as he had the metabolism that every girl in existence wished to have.

Allen grumbled as he finished off his burger followed by six more and four packages of large fries. On the bright side, his uncle knew about how much he could eat and never failed to remember. Unlike Cross, who would constantly space the fact that Allen ate about four times the amount of a normal full grown man. _That's one good thing about moving in with Uncle Neah. . . ._

Allen shook away the thought and jammed three more fries into his mouth. After chewing and swallowing, he frowned. _I'd rather be underfed than live without Lavi._

"So, Allen, how did you sleep?" Neah asked.

"Well enough," he grumbled.

"That's good."

An awkward silence filled the car. Allen looked out the window as he munched on the last of his fries. It was almost pitch black outside. They were no longer in a city, but driving along a very long and bare highway. The air was thick and heavy, making it seemly hard to breathe. Allen cracked open the window on his side, but slammed it shut when he was hit with the freezing cold air.

Neah chuckled. "It's a little cold out there, Allen."

"I can see that," Allen mumbled. He looked back out of the window and asked, "So where are we?"

"We just left Topeka, Kansas," Neah replied. "That's where I got your dinner. I didn't want to wake you up, though. That was about two hours ago."

"How long have I been out?" Allen asked.

"Hmm, I would say about eight hours. You really can sleep, nephew," Neah said.

Allen shrugged. "They say depression makes people sleep."

"Ah, that it does."

More silence. Allen really hated the tense feeling in the car, so he thought of ways to change it. There was the idea to start talking about something random, but he decided against it. With his uncle, things would more than likely turn depressing easily. Instead, he pulled his iPod out of his coat pocket and hooked it up to the cord that was attached to the stereo and hit play.

_"Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don't belong, and no one understands you? Do you ever wanna run away? Do you lock yourself in your room? With the radio on turned so loud that no one hears you screaming? No, you don't know what it's like when nothing feels all right. You don't know what it's like to be like me. To be hurt, to feel lost, to be left out in the dark. To be kicked when you're down. To feel like you've been pushed around. To be on the edge of breaking down and no one's there to save you. No, you don't know what it's like. Welcome to my life._"

"Very interesting song choice, Allen," Neah commented.

Allen shrugged. "Would you like me to change it?"

"That would be nice, yes. Your music is making me feel very depressed."

Allen grumbled and hit the next button.

"_You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the wall as I fell asleep. 'Cause they fill the open air and leave tear drops everywhere. You'd think me rude, but I'd just stand and stare. I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep. Because everything is never as it seems._"

"What is the point of this song?" Neah asked.

"No one really knows," Allen said. He had his eyes closed and was enjoying the techno sounding instrumentals. He liked this version better than the remix. He was the type that liked the original versions of songs rather than the remixes. Like Linkin Park for example. Their older material is a lot better than the remixes they made of those songs. Their albums _Hybrid Theory _and _Meteora _were genius! But then they started to make remixes of those songs and Allen couldn't stand to listen to them. Thankfully, their newest albums were new songs and actually sounded good. Every time he would listen to "New Divide," he had to hear it a second time. It was that amazing.

"You listen to the most peculiar music," Neah commented.

"And you listen to oldies."

"Hey now, The Beatles are not that old," Neah defended.

Allen snickered. "No, not at all."

Neah rolled his eyes and chuckled. "I'll have you know, I used to listen Slipknot, Slayer, Mushroomhead, GWAR, and Metallica," he said as he ticked off his list on his right hand.

Allen raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why the drastic change in music taste?"

"I figured that if I wanted to change my way of life, my music taste would be one of the first things to be changed."

Allen thought about how hard that must've been for his uncle. He knew that he could not stand the sound of The Beatles because he was more into alternative and punk rock with the occasional techno, but he could not imagine how tough it was for his once badass uncle. "How'd you do it?" Allen asked.

"Oh, it wasn't easy. The first few days were terrible. I went through three stereo systems. I beat the first one with a baseball bat, the second one had an 'unfortunate' accident with a two liter Dr. Pepper bottle, and the third I shot." Neah laughed. "I really didn't like The Beatles in the beginning."

"I can tell," Allen said. He was starting to question his poor uncle's sanity.

"But after plenty of perseverance, and a little help from your dad, I managed to find that style of music not so bad. But even that wasn't enough to completely convert me."

"Then what was?" Allen inquired.

Neah turned his head so he was looking at Allen and gave him a genuine smile. "When you were eight, your favorite song was 'Lucy in the Sky.' You would sing along with it word for word. It was the most adorable thing in the world!"

Allen grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hush, it was not that cute."

"Oh, yes it was, my dear nephew. You would dance along too. Mana always said that you would be a performer some day."

"Well, he couldn't have been more wrong," Allen mumbled.

Neah nodded and reached over his right hand and ruffled Allen's white hair. "You really were a cute kid, you know."

"Shush."

"You've barely changed over the years," Neah commented.

"That's not true; I've changed a lot," Allen denied.

Neah shook his head. "Okay, perhaps you've changed a bit, but whenever I look at you, I can still see you as the cute little six year old Mana dragged home from work one day. The only difference is your hair color."

Allen stuck his tongue out. "Well, I have difficulty seeing you as the man dressed in all black and chains with three guns hidden in your pockets like when I first met you."

Neah laughed. "Then that means that my metamorphosis was successful."

"That is was."

The two went quiet as "Leave Out All The Rest" by Linkin Park played. Allen went back to looking out the window and couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, he could survive this move after all.

*.*.*.*

Two days later, Neah was whistling happily as he pulled into his town. "We're almost there, Allen. I'm telling you, you're going to love it here. It's a nice, quiet town."

Allen's gut was twisting a turning in a thousand different directions. He was torn on how to feel. He had to admit that he was a little excited to be here. He had heard a lot about his new town and it sounded pretty nice. From how Neah described it, it was no more than seven miles long from one end of the town to the other. Despite how small it was, it was a very successful tourist town. People from all over Oregon, Washington, California, and Idaho would come over in the summer. He didn't understand why people would drive out so far to stay in a town less than ten miles long, but that was just him.

He watched out the window as they passed by the usual necessities in a town – McDonald's and Walgreen's. There weren't that many cars out and about, so there really wasn't all that much traffic. Neah said that it would be different once May rolled around. Mid May to about early September was tourist season, Neah had explained. Allen was happy that he wasn't coming in during that time. This gave him plenty of time to adjust to the place before tourists flooded it.

Outside looked beautiful to Allen. It was icy and frosty, with little bits of snow collected on the tops of roofs. Winter always was Allen's favorite season, but he could never get over how much the sight of snow really affected him. It was indescribable how familiar the snow was and how at home he felt when he caught sight of it.

Neah continued driving for about two more minutes before he turned on to a road on his right. He drove past streets filled with giant houses that looked very expensive. Most were two stories, but there were a few that were three. Allen's eyes widened as stared at them.

"These are the houses that are rented out to tourists," Neah said.

"Are you serious? Why would someone rent out houses as big as this?"

"I don't know. But in this town, we depend on the money that they bring, so we don't exactly complain."

"That's understandable."

Neah made a sound of acknowledgement and continued to drive until he turned onto a small street. There were four houses on the street, each one of them were huge. The first three were three stories, but the last one was only two stories. It was white with red clay roofing tiles. The shutters were red and matched the roof. There was a large wooden deck that circled the top half of the house. There was hardly a yard, but Allen guessed that in the warmer seasons there were flowers that grew along the front of the house.

Neah pulled into the driveway of the house and cut the engine. He turned and caught Allen gaping and chuckled. "Well, this is it. Welcome home, Allen."

Allen could not tear his eyes away from the enormous house in front of him. Yes, it was only two stories, but it was _huge_. This house looked like it could eat Allen's old house and still have room for dessert.

"You look surprised," Neah said.

"How the hell did you manage to afford this?" Allen asked, momentarily forgetting to mind his manners.

"My job pays really well. I am a private music teacher on my own time, but I also am a social worker."

"You're a social worker?" Allen asked incredulously. "How'd you manage to do that? Don't you have to have serious background checks or something?"

"Yes, but my boss is very lenient. I'll tell you about him later. For now, let's get your things inside, shall we?"

"Y-yeah."

Allen unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car into the comforting cold January air and walked back to the U-Haul. He unlocked the door and hefted up the nearest box, watching as Neah walked up the driveway to the front door and unlocked it. Allen followed his uncle inside and almost dropped his box.

The house was even bigger on the inside! The ceiling was about thirty feet up, only adding to the feeling of the house being massive. He could see the other side of the house from the entryway. The living room and dining room and kitchen all blended nicely as one big room without any walls separating them. Neah walked into what Allen assumed to be the dining room and set his keys on the nice mahogany table. Allen followed Neah and set his box down at the table and continued to gape at the house.

"What do you think, Allen?"

"I think I am going to wake up any second now and be back in the car. There is no way you live here."

Neah smiled. "Oh, but I do. I've lived here for two years now. It's been very nice."

"Why do you have such a big place to yourself?" Allen asked. He could not imagine why Neah would need an enormous two story house to himself.

"That's because I have turned the bedroom down here into a classroom. I give musical lessons to kids on Fridays through Sundays. Then upstairs is my bedroom, my office, and the guest bedroom, which is now your bedroom. Go ahead and start taking your things upstairs. It's the first door to the right. I'm going to check my messages and call my boss and then I'll come assist you."

Allen nodded and lifted the box once more and started towards the stairs. Once upstairs, he looked to his right and saw a large bedroom. It wasn't the master bedroom, but it was still big—about two times bigger than his room before. There was already a sleek black desk in the corner and a queen sized bed that matched. Allen set the box on the bed and sat down next to it. The room was dark, and he liked it. There was only a little light from the window because the curtain that covered it was black. The walls were gray and plain, and the carpet was a dark navy. All in all, it was a nice, simple, and dark room. Perfect for Allen.

Allen stood up and started back down stairs to get the rest of his things. When he was about halfway down the staircase, his pocket vibrated. His heart sped up. The past three days his phone has been vibrating like crazy, but he was never allowed to open it up and check the messages or answer the calls. He jammed his hand into his pocket, took hold of his phone and whipped it out. Just like he was hoping, it was a message from Lavi.

**7:42 am: hey. ya there?**

_7:43 am: Yeah, I'm here. We just got in town._

**7:44 am: holy shit ur alive! i thought that u like died or sumthin. i was bout ready to jack gramp's car n come find ya.**

_7:45 am: Thanks for the thought, but it's not really necessary. We're here and we're safe. It was just a very long trip._

**7:47 am: i bet. so how're ya holdin up?**

_7:49 am: I'm fine. I'm just getting used to my new house I guess._

**7:51 am: thats good to hear. god i miss u. r u sure u cnt come bak?**

_7:52 am: I'm afraid I can't. You know that. But I miss you too._

**7:54 am: i miss you more ;D**

_7:55 am: I'm going to let you win this argument. Only because I'm working on bringing my things inside._

**7:56 am: ah ok. want me 2 leave ya b?**

_7:57 am: Only for about an hour._

**7:59 am: ok. i guess i shuld b payin attention in class anyway. ill txt ya at lunch k?**

_8:01 am: Oh, I forgot you're in school! I'm sorry for interrupting. Text me at lunch._

**8:02 am: will do. love ya.**

_8:03 am: Love you too. Now pay attention! Raise those grades so I can see you!_

Allen smiled happily as he put his phone back in his pocket. Only talking to Lavi for fifteen minutes made him feel more positive than he had felt since he left Missouri. With a new skip in his step, he started downstairs to bring up the rest of his things. _Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought._

Little did he know that things were only going to get worse from there on.

**[Note from the Author: Hmm. Weird way to end the final chapter, huh? It's like I'm leaving open room for a sequel or something...**

**Which I am! ;D**

**Ahh, you guys didn't think I was really going to separate Allen and Lavi for forever, did you? :O Even I'm not that evil.**

**Anyway, after thinking about it for some time and discussing the idea with my beta, I thought that it would be cool to have a sequel to this because Allen moved and the title **_**So Close, Yet So Far**_** didn't really work out too well. And it's an excuse to bring in more characters and drama~! :D I'm so excited for this.**

**So, here's the plan. I think I am going to wait awhile before I post the new story until I have at least two or three chapters written out so updating won't be so bad this time around. I'll try to not take any longer than a month. Okay? I hope that's not too long.**

**I hope all of you enjoyed reading my story and will move on to the sequel. It would make me so, so, so happy.**

**Thank you again to everyone who has take the time to review, favorite, alert, and just read my story. It means so much to me. THANK YOU ALL! :D *blows kisses everywhere***

**Keep an eye out for the upcoming sequel, **_**Distant Hearts**_**!**

**Songs: "Welcome To My Life" by Simple Plan and "Fireflies" by Owl City.**

**Until Next Time!**

**~Kumori]**

*.*.*.*

_Story: So Close, Yet So Far_

_Status: Complete_

_Started: November 30th, 2011_

_Ended: July 10th, 2012_

_Chapters: 20_

_Word Count:106,625_

_*.*.*.*_


End file.
